BILL ANALYSIS Ó
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Kevin de León, Chair
SB 218 (Yee) - Healing arts.
Amended: May 13, 2013 Policy Vote: B&P 6-1
Urgency: No Mandate: Yes
Hearing Date: May 20, 2013 Consultant: Brendan McCarthy
This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill Summary: SB 218 would establish the California Traditional
Chinese Medicine Traumatology Committee and require the
Committee to issue certificates to practice as a Traditional
Chinese Medicine Traumatologist to applicants who meet specified
criteria.
Fiscal Impact:
One-time costs of about $300,000 to develop program
criteria, update licensing systems, develop an examination
for applicants, and adopt regulations. (Acupuncture Fund).
Ongoing costs between $150,000 and $200,000 per year to
review certificate applications and provide support to the
new Committee (Acupuncture Fund).
Unknown fee revenues (Acupuncture Fund).
Background: Under current law, the California Acupuncture Board
licenses and regulates the acupuncture profession in the state.
Proposed Law: SB 218 would establish the California Traditional
Chinese Medicine Traumatology Committee within the California
Acupuncture Board.
The bill would require the Committee to issue certificates to
practice as a Traditional Chinese Medicine Traumatologist to
applicants who meet specified criteria.
In order to receive a certificate, an applicant would have to
meet one of three criteria, including the passage of an
examination, ten years' experience as an apprentice (prior to
2014), or ten years of clinical experience.
SB 218 (Yee)
Page 1
The bill would require applicant's to pay an application fee (in
an amount set by the Acupuncture Board, not to exceed an amount
currently unspecified in the bill) and renewal fees and other
fees (also unspecified in the bill).
The bill makes it a misdemeanor to practice traumatology or hold
one's self out as being a certified traumatologist without a
certificate.
Related Legislation:
SB 1488 (Yee, 2012) would have established the California
Traditional Chinese Medicine Traumatology Council as a
non-profit organization to provide for the certification and
regulation of the practice of traditional Chinese medicine
traumatology. That bill failed passage in the Assembly
Business, Professions and Consumer Protection Committee.
SB 628 (Yee, 2011) would have changed the name of the
California Acupuncture Board to the "Traditional Chinese
Medicine Board" and would have included traumatology in the
authorized activities of a licensed acupuncturist. That bill
failed passage in the Assembly Business, Professions and
Consumer Protection Committee.
Staff Comments: The bill authorizes the Committee to collect
fees for the issuance of a certificate. The California
Acupuncture Board estimates there are about 150 practitioners of
traumatology in the state. Given the small number of potential
applicants, it is unlikely that fees would be able to support
the program created under this bill. Most of the cost to
implement the bill would likely be paid from license fees paid
by acupuncturists.
The only costs that may be incurred by a local agency relate to
crimes and infractions. Under the California Constitution, such
costs are not reimbursable by the state.