BILL NUMBER: SB 128 INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Senator Emmerson JANUARY 22, 2013 An act to amend Section 921 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to healing arts. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 128, as introduced, Emmerson. Health care professionals. Existing law, the Health Care Professional Disaster Response Act, states findings of the Legislature regarding the shortage of qualified health care practitioners during times of national or state disasters, and allows a physician and surgeon, whose license has been expired for less than 5 years and who meets specified criteria, to obtain a license without paying fees. This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to those provisions. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 921 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read: 921. (a) The Legislature finds and declares the following: (1) In times of national or state disasters, a shortage of qualified health care practitioners may exist in areas throughout the state where they are desperately required to respond to public health emergencies. (2) Health care practitioners with lapsed or inactive licenses could potentially serve in those areas where a shortage of qualified health care practitioners exists, if licensing requirements were streamlined and fees curtailed. (b)It is, therefore,Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature to address these matters through the provisions of the Health Care Professional Disaster Response Act.