BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 836|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 836
Author: Skinner (D), et al.
Amended: 6/18/13 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE BUSINESS, PROF. & ECON. DEV. COMM. : 9-0, 6/10/13
AYES: Lieu, Block, Corbett, Galgiani, Hernandez, Hill, Padilla,
Wyland, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Emmerson
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 7-0, 6/24/13
AYES: De León, Walters, Gaines, Hill, Lara, Padilla, Steinberg
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 76-0, 4/25/13 (Consent) - See last page for
vote
SUBJECT : Dentists: continuing education
SOURCE : California Dental Association
DIGEST : This bill reduces the continuing education (CE) units
required by the Dental Board of California (DBC), for retired
dentists who solely provide uncompensated care, from 50 CE units
biannually to 30 CE units biannually; requires that all of the
CE hours be gained through specified courses; and requires the
DBC to report on the outcome of this change at the time of its
regular sunset review process.
ANALYSIS :
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Existing law:
1.Establishes the DBC to license and regulate the practice of
dentistry; and establishes an active and inactive retired
dentist license.
2.Requires dentists to complete 50 CE units for each biannual
license renewal cycle.
3.Requires CE providers to be registered with DBC.
4.Permits, until January 1, 2014, out-of-state medical
practitioners with valid, current and active licenses to
participate in sponsored free health care events in
California.
This bill:
1.Prohibits the DBC from requiring more than 60% of CE hours
that are required of other licensed dentists for retired
dentists who provide only uncompensated care.
2.Provides that all of the CE hours, as specified, be gained
through courses related to the actual delivery of dental
services to the patient or community.
3.Specifies that the DBC report on the outcome of the decreased
CE units for retired dentists who provide uncompensated care
during the sunset review process.
Background
Retired inactive licenses . Dentists who wish to retire may
apply for inactive licenses. Holders of an inactive license
continue to pay biennial renewal fees to the DBC, but are not
subject to CE requirements. Further, the inactive licensees are
ineligible to offer dental services or prescribe medication.
Retired active licenses . Dentists who apply for a retired
active license pay reduced renewal fees. They are also eligible
to continue offering dental services. The requirements for
applying for a retired active license include:
The applicant must demonstrate they have practiced dentistry
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in California for 20 years or more.
The applicant must have reached the age of retirement under
the federal Social Security Act.
The applicant must provide services for free or for a nominal
charge to any person, organization or agency. In no event
shall the aggregate of these charges in any single calendar
year be in an amount that would render the applicant
ineligible for full social security benefits.
If the applicant qualifies for the retired active license, and
their prior license is expired, the applicant is still subject
to pay all accrued renewal and delinquency fees, before their
license is renewed.
The applicant must complete 50 hours of continuing education
every two years, and pay the reduced license renewal fee.
CE . Existing law requires both retired active and active
licensees to complete 50 hours of CE units. Both the retired
active and active licensees are also required to complete two
hours of coursework in infection control, two hours on the
California Dental Practice Act, and a maximum of four hours in
Basic Life Support.
Other states . Across the nation, states require that dentists
complete CE units, ranging from 25 to 50 hours, every two years.
According to information provided by the author's office,
California is one of five states, including Virginia, Maryland,
Missouri, and Kansas, that do not offer reduced CE unit
requirements for retired dentists.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, one-time costs
less than $75,000 to update existing regulations by the DBC
(State Dentistry Fund).
SUPPORT : (Verified 6/25/13)
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California Dental Association (source)
California Academy of General Dentistry
California Society of Pediatric Dentistry
The Children's Partnership
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author, "AB 836 is
intended to reduce the barriers retired dentists face in
providing volunteer dental care. The continuing education
requirements for retired dentists who meet certain criteria
would be adjusted from 50 CE hours every two years to 30 hours
every two years to better meet the practice needs of experienced
dentists providing only voluntary care."
The bill's sponsor, the California Dental Association, states,
"Most other states have acted to reduce barriers for retired
dentists to provide volunteer care, and several states have
specifically adjusted CE requirements for retired dentist
volunteers. California has one of the highest CE requirements
of any state and adjusting the CE units for retired dentists-
from 50 CE units to 30 CE units for a two-year licensure renewal
cycle would bring California's requirement for retired volunteer
dentists in line with the requirement for actively practicing
dentists in nearly half of the other states."
The California Society of Pediatric Dentistry writes, "Many
dentists who have retired from active practice and still wish to
contribute to the public good provide donated dental services to
disadvantaged Californians in a variety of healthcare settings
including free dental clinics, local community health centers,
and children's programs such as WIC and Head Start. This
charitable work improves the oral health of a variety of
dentally-underserved populations, including children from
low-income families, the elderly, the homeless, veterans and
individuals with developmental disabilities."
The Children's Partnership states, "Retired dentists are an
underutilized resource for providing care to underserved
children and other populations. Many retired dentists are
interested in providing free care to the neediest in their
communities, but face barriers, including the amount of
continuing education required to maintain an active California
dental license. Reducing the CE barrier is an important effort
to optimize this highly experienced and willing resource for
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underserved communities."
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 76-0, 4/25/13
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom,
Blumenfield, Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown,
Buchanan, Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chesbro, Conway,
Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eggman, Fong, Fox, Frazier,
Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gordon, Gorell, Gray,
Grove, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Roger Hernández, Holden, Jones,
Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue, Maienschein, Mansoor,
Medina, Melendez, Mitchell, Morrell, Mullin, Muratsuchi,
Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea, V. Manuel Pérez,
Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Salas,
Skinner, Stone, Ting, Torres, Wagner, Waldron, Weber,
Wieckowski, Wilk, Williams, Yamada, John A. Pérez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Cooley, Lowenthal, Nazarian, Vacancy
MW:ej 6/25/13 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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