Amended in Assembly March 19, 2013

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 705

Introduced by Assembly Member Blumenfield

February 21, 2013

An act begin insert to amend Section 2736.5 of the Business and Professions Code, end insert relating to healing arts.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 705, as amended, Blumenfield. Combat to Care Act.

Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of various healing arts professions and vocations by boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs. begin insert Existing law requires boards within the department to adopt rules and regulations to provide for methods of evaluating education, training, and experience obtained in the armed services, if applicable to the requirements of the business, occupation, or profession regulated, and to specify how this education, training, and experience may be used to meet the licensure requirements for the particular business, occupation, or profession regulated. Existing law, the Nursing Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of registered nurses by the Board of Registered Nursing. end insert

begin insert

Existing law requires applicants for licensure as a registered nurse to meet certain educational requirements, to have completed specified courses of instruction, and to not be subject to denial of licensure under specified circumstances. Existing law authorizes applicants who have served on active duty in the medical corps in the United States Armed Forces to submit a record of specified training to the board for evaluation in order to satisfy the courses of instruction requirement. Under existing law, if the applicant satisfies the other general licensure requirements and if the board determines that his or her education establishes competency to practice registered nursing, the applicant shall be granted a license upon passing a certain examination.

end insert

This bill would provide that this act shall be known, and may be cited begin insert , end insert as begin delete , end delete the Combat to Care Act and would make various legislative findings and declarations, including that California recognizes that military service members gain skill and experience while serving the country that, upon discharge, can be translated to the civilian world. begin insert Th end insert begin insert e bill would require the Board of Registered Nursing to adopt regulations that identify the Armed Forces coursework, training, and experience that is equivalent or transferable to coursework required for licensure by the board. This bill would require the board, after evaluating a military applicant’s education and training, to provide the applicant with a list of the coursework he or she must still complete to be eligible for licensure. end insert

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  begin delete no end delete begin insert yes end insert . State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

This act shall be known, and may be cited begin insert , end insert as begin delete , end delete
the Combat to Care Act.

SEC. 2.  

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) President Barack Obama signed the Veteran Skills to Jobs
Act, authored by former California State Senator Jeff Denham,
which directs federal licensing authorities to consider and accept
military experience and training for the purposes of satisfying the
requirements for licensure.

(b) In signing the Veterans Skills to Jobs Act, President Obama
declared that “No veteran who fought for our nation overseas
should have to fight for a job when they return home.”

(c) The Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse
University found that, since 2001, more than 2.8 million military
personnel have made the transition from military to civilian life
and another one million service members will make this transition
over the next five years.

(d) California is home to the largest veteran population in the
country, with approximately 2 million veterans, and is expected
to welcome home 30,000 more annually.

(e) California recognizes that military service members gain
skills and experience while serving our country that, upon
discharge, can be translated to the civilian world.

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(f) Last year the Governor signed into law Assembly Bill 2659
(Ch. 406, Stats. 2012) to help veterans with military commercial
motor vehicle driving experience transfer those skills into civilian
life. This act is part of California’s ongoing effort to streamline
veterans into viable careers after military service.

end insert

begin insert

begin insert SEC. 3. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Section 2736.5 of the end insert begin insert Business and Professions Code end insert
begin insert is amended to read: end insert

2736.5.  

(a) Any person who has served on active duty in the
medical corps of any of the Armed Forces of the United States and
who has successfully completed the course of instruction required
to qualify him or her for rating as a medical service
technician--independent duty, or other equivalent rating in his begin insert or
her end insert particular branch of the Armed Forces, and whose service in
the Armed Forces has been under honorable conditions, may submit
the record of begin delete such end delete begin insert that end insert training to the board for evaluation.

begin insert

(b) After making an evaluation pursuant to subdivisions (a) and
(d), the board shall provide an applicant with a list of coursework,
if any, that the applicant must complete to be eligible for licensure.

end insert begin delete

(b)

end delete

begin insert (c) end insert  If begin delete such person end delete begin insert an applicant end insert meets the qualifications of
begin insert subdivision (a) and end insert paragraphs (1) and (3) of subdivision (a) of
Section 2736, and if the board determines that his or her education
would give reasonable assurance of competence to practice as a
registered nurse in this state, he or she shall be granted a license
upon passing the standard examination for begin delete such end delete licensure.

begin delete

(c)

end delete

begin insert (d) end insert  The board shall, by regulation, establish criteria for
evaluating the education of applicants under this section.

begin insert

(e) On or before January 1, 2015, the board shall, by regulation,
identify the Armed Forces coursework, training, and experience
that is equivalent or transferable to coursework required for
licensure by the board.

end insert begin delete

(d)

end delete

begin insert (f) end insert  The board shall maintain records of the following categories
of applicants under this section:

(1) Applicants who are rejected for examination begin delete , end delete and the areas
of begin delete such end delete begin insert those end insert applicants’ preparation begin delete which end delete begin insert that end insert are the causes of
rejection.

(2) Applicants who are qualified by their military education
alone to take the examination, and the results of their examinations.

(3) Applicants who are qualified to take the examination by
their military education plus supplementary education, and the
results of their examinations.

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(e)

end delete

begin insert (g) end insert  The board shall attempt to contact by mail or other means
individuals meeting the requirements of subdivision (a) who have
been or will be discharged or separated from the Armed Forces of
the United States, in order to inform them of the application
procedure provided by this section. The board may enter into an
agreement with the federal government in order to secure the names
and addresses of begin delete such end delete begin insert those end insert individuals.