BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                            Senator Kevin de Le�n, Chair


          AB 512 (Rendon) - Healing arts: licensure exemption.
          
          Amended: As introduced.         Policy Vote: B&P 10-0
          Urgency: No                     Mandate: No
          Hearing Date: June 24, 2013                             
          Consultant: Brendan McCarthy    
          
          This bill does not meet the criteria for referral to the  
          Suspense File.
          
          
          Bill Summary: AB 512 would extend the sunset on current law  
          which exempts certain out-of-state health care providers from  
          California licensing requirements, provided that the  
          out-of-state health care provider is volunteering care for  
          uninsured or underinsured individuals.


          Fiscal Impact: 
              Likely one-time costs between $40,000 and $75,000 for the  
              adoption of regulations by the Acupuncture Board  
              (Acupuncture Fund).

              Likely one-time costs between $40,000 and $75,000 for the  
              adoption of regulations by the Osteopathic Medical Board  
              (Osteopathic Medical Board of California Contingent Fund).

              Likely one-time costs between $40,000 and $75,000 for the  
              adoption of regulations by the Naturopathic Medical  
              Committee (Naturopathic Doctors Fund). 

              Minor ongoing costs to various licensing boards (various  
              funds). The boards that have adopted regulations to  
              implement the existing exemption have had only a few  
              applications to participate. Extending this program is not  
              likely to result in significant ongoing workload to the  
              various licensing boards.

          Background: Under current law (AB 2699, Bass, Statutes of 2010),  
          health care practitioners who are licensed or certified in other  
          states are allowed to provide health care services in California  
          on a voluntary basis without meeting California licensing or  








          AB 512 (Rendon)
          Page 1


          certification requirements, provided specified conditions are  
          met. For example, the care must be provided to the uninsured or  
          underinsured, it must be provided at an organized health care  
          event, and the practitioner must receive authorization from the  
          appropriate licensing board. These provisions of current law  
          sunset on January 1, 2014.

          In order to implement AB 2699, the Medical Board, the Dental  
          Board, the Board of Registered Nursing, the Board of Optometry,  
          and the Dental Hygiene Committee have adopted implementing  
          regulations. The Physician Assistant Board is in the process of  
          adopting regulations. The Acupuncture Board, the Osteopathic  
          Medical Board, and the Naturopathic Medical Committee have not  
          yet adopted regulations.


          Proposed Law: AB 512 would extend the sunset on current law  
          which exempts certain out-of-state health care providers from  
          California licensing requirements, provided specified conditions  
          are met.

          Staff Comments: Since regulations were adopted by the Medical  
          Board last year, only one physician has applied to participate  
          and the Dental Board has had six applications since its  
          regulations went into effect. Given these experiences, the  
          overall workload to the various boards is not likely to be  
          significant if this program is extended.