BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                            Senator Kevin de León, Chair


          AB 1028 (Patterson) - Vocational nursing: interim permits.
          
          Amended: June 10, 2013          Policy Vote: B&P 10-0
          Urgency: No                     Mandate: No
          Hearing Date: July 1, 2013      Consultant: Brendan McCarthy
          
          This bill does not meet the criteria for referral to the  
          Suspense File.
          
          
          Bill Summary: AB 1028 would permit an applicant for a vocational  
          nursing license to submit an application for an interim permit  
          at the same time. The bill would require the Board of Vocational  
          Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians to issue an interim permit  
          within 60 days of receiving an application.

          Fiscal Impact: 
              Potential one-time costs up to $75,000 for the amendment of  
              existing regulations by the Board of Vocational Nursing and  
              Psychiatric Technicians (Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric  
              Technicians Fund).

              Potential ongoing costs in the tens of thousands, up to  
              about $150,000 for additional interim permit application  
              review, offset by fee revenues (Vocational Nursing and  
              Psychiatric Technicians Fund).

          Background: Under current law, vocational nurses are licensed  
          and regulated by the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric  
          Technicians. Prospective vocational nurses must submit a license  
          application to the Board and are required to pass an examination

          If an applicant for licensing submits an application within four  
          months of competing an approved nursing program, the Board may  
          issue an interim permit. An interim permit allows a vocational  
          nursing applicant to work, under supervision of a licensed  
          vocational nurse or registered nurse, while awaiting the results  
          of the licensing examination or up to nine months. The Board  
          charges a $40 fee to process an interim permit.

          Proposed Law: AB 1028 would permit an applicant for a vocational  
          nursing license to submit an application for an interim permit  








          AB 1028 (Patterson)
          Page 1


          at the same time. 

          The bill would require the Board of Vocational Nursing and  
          Psychiatric Technicians to issue an interim permit within 60  
          days of receiving an application.

          Staff Comments: The Board indicates that it has not issued an  
          interim permit in more than two years, in part because staff  
          limitations lead to long processing times. The increased  
          workload to the Board will depend on how many license applicants  
          also apply for an interim permit. If half of the licensing  
          applicants also apply for an interim permit, the Board estimates  
          that it will experience costs of about $75,000 per year, offset  
          by fee revenues.