BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 1028 Page 1 CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS AB 1028 (Patterson) As Amended June 10, 2013 Majority vote ----------------------------------------------------------------- |ASSEMBLY: |75-0 |(May 9, 2013) |SENATE: |37-0 |(August 19, | | | | | | |2013) | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Original Committee Reference: B.,P. & C.P. SUMMARY : Authorizes an applicant for licensure as a vocational nurse (VN) to submit an application for an interim permit (IP) at the same time as the applicant submits his or her application for licensure by examination, and requires the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians (BVNPT) to issue the IP, if it chooses to do so, within 60 days of receiving the completed application. The Senate amendments give BVNPT discretion whether to issue the IP, and if BVNPT chooses to issue the IP, it must be issued to the applicant within 60 days of BVNPT receiving the completed application. FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations Committee: 1)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); and, 2)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). COMMENTS : According to the author, "Vocational nursing applicants are currently experiencing extraordinary delays with application processing times. AB 1028 aims to ensure that these critical health care providers can begin working in a timely manner once they have finished schooling and have entered the licensing process with BVNPT by speeding up the process by which they can apply for and receive an IP while they complete all AB 1028 Page 2 board exams. "This bill would not be altering the process already in code regarding the interim permits that can be issued to these nursing graduates, but it would be allowing the application process for the interim permits to begin simultaneously with the general application process, so that once all the currently required information has been processed-including fingerprinting and background check-the interim permit can be issued immediately." Interim permits . To obtain an IP, a VN candidate must be approved to take the VN licensure exam. An IP allows a VN candidate to practice vocational nursing under the supervision of a licensed VN or registered nurse while the candidate waits for his or her first examination results (up to nine months). If the candidate passes the exam, the IP continues to be valid until BVNPT issues the VN license (up to six months). An IP is terminated upon notice that the candidate has failed the exam. BVNPT last received a request for an IP in 2010; this may be due in part to the fact that BVNPT does not promote IPs -- there is no mention of the availability of an IP on BVNPT's Web site under "licensing," nor does BVNPT offer an IP application online as it does for its application for licensure by examination. Processing delays . Although BVNPT's Web site states that applications for licensure by examination take four to five weeks to process, BVNPT acknowledges that it currently takes 8-12 weeks. This is due primarily to staffing shortages; there are presently eight vacancies in their licensing division. BVNPT reports that an IP generally takes three to four weeks to process, but this is not a current figure because they have not received a request for an IP in over two years. Analysis Prepared by : Sarah Huchel / B.,P. & C.P. / (916) 319-3301 FN: 0001666 AB 1028 Page 3