BILL ANALYSIS Ó SB 541 Page 1 Date of Hearing: August 17, 2011 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Felipe Fuentes, Chair SB 541 (Price) - As Amended: June 21, 2011 Policy Committee: Business and Professions Vote: 9 - 0 Urgency: Yes State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: SUMMARY This bill authorizes any boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), the State Board of Chiropractic Examiners, and the Osteopathic Medical Board to enter into agreements with private consultants to provide expert opinions for enforcement-related manners, assist in examination development, and evaluate the physical and mental health of licensees. In addition, this bill specifically exempts these boards from state contracting laws for purposes of these agreements. FISCAL EFFECT There are no significant costs associated with this legislation. COMMENTS Rationale . This bill allows boards and bureaus under the jurisdiction of DCA to enter into service agreements with expert consultants without going through a formal contracting process. According to the author, DCA has begun requiring that all boards and bureaus enter into a formal consulting services contract with each expert consultant they use to provide an opinion in an enforcement matter. The author argues that going through the formal contracting process in order to utilize the services of an expert consultant would create an enormous backlog for both DCA and for each board and would significantly impact the time required to complete the initial review and investigate complaints filed with boards. The author is concerned that this process would limit a board's ability to take disciplinary SB 541 Page 2 actions against licensees and could result in case delays. The author contends that SB 541 would allow the boards and bureaus to essentially continue the existing practices they have had in place to use expert reviewers. Analysis Prepared by : Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916) 319-2081