BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  SB 1245
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          SENATE THIRD READING
          SB 1245 (Lieu)
          As Introduced  February 20, 2014
          Majority vote 

           SENATE VOTE  :36-0  
           
           BUSINESS & PROFESSIONS 13-0     APPROPRIATIONS      17-0        
           
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Ayes:|Bonilla, Jones,           |Ayes:|Gatto, Bigelow,           |
          |     |Bocanegra, Campos,        |     |Bocanegra, Bradford, Ian  |
          |     |Dickinson, Gordon,        |     |Calderon, Campos,         |
          |     |Hagman, Holden,           |     |Donnelly, Eggman, Gomez,  |
          |     |Maienschein, Mullin,      |     |Holden, Jones, Linder,    |
          |     |Skinner, Ting, Wilk       |     |Pan, Quirk,               |
          |     |                          |     |Ridley-Thomas, Wagner,    |
          |     |                          |     |Weber                     |
          |-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
          |     |                          |     |                          |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
           SUMMARY  :  Extends the operation of the Dental Hygiene Committee  
          of California (DHCC) and extends the appointments of DHCC  
          committee members and DHCC's executive officer until January 1,  
          2019. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  According to the Assembly Appropriations  
          Committee, ongoing costs of about $1.6 million per year, through  
          January 1, 2019, for DHCC's licensing activities, supported by  
          licensing fees (State Dental Hygiene Fund). 

           COMMENTS  :   

          1)Purpose of the bill.  This bill extends the operation of the  
            DHCC and the existence of its committee members and executive  
            officer until January 1, 2019.  This allows DHCC to continue  
            to operate and continue to regulate dental hygienists to  
            promote and ensure quality oral health care for consumers, and  
            triggers the Legislature to comprehensively review DHCC again  
            in four years.    

          2)Author's statement.  According to the author, this bill  
            "[e]xtends until January 1, 2019, the provisions establishing  
            the [DHCC], and extends the term of the executive officer.   








                                                                  SB 1245
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            Unless legislation is carried this year to extend the sunset  
            dates for DHCC, it will be repealed on January 1, 2015."   

          3)Background of DHCC.  In 2002, the Joint Legislative Sunset  
            Review Committee determined that "dental hygienists had  
            reached the point where their responsibilities warranted a  
            regulatory body, separate from [the DBC]."  DHCC was created  
            as result of the passage of SB 853 (Perata), Chapter 31,  
            Statutes of 2008.  DHCC's purpose is "[t]o permit the full  
            utilization of registered dental hygienists, registered dental  
            hygienists in alternative practice, and registered dental  
            hygienists in extended functions in order to meet the dental  
            care needs of all of the state's citizens," and its mission is  
            "[t]o promote and ensure the highest quality of oral health  
            care for all Californians." 

          DHCC is the only self-regulating dental hygiene agency of its  
            kind in the United States, and has authority over all aspects  
            of the licensing and regulation of dental hygienists,  
            including enforcement and investigation authority and the  
            approval of educational programs that provide the prerequisite  
            education to become a licensed dental hygienist.  DHCC also  
            develops and administers written and clinical licensing  
            examinations and conducts occupational analyses of the various  
            professional categories.

          DHCC is responsible for overseeing 31,804 licensed dental  
            hygienists in the state of California.  These dental  
            hygienists include over 31,000 registered dental hygienists,  
            over 500 registered dental hygienists in alternative practice,  
            and roughly 40 registered dental hygienists in extended  
            functions. 

          4)DHCC Sunset Review.  In 2014, the Assembly Business,  
            Professions and Consumer Protection Committee and the Senate  
            Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee  
            (Committees) conducted joint oversight hearings to review nine  
            regulatory entities:  Bureau of Automotive Repair; Bureau of  
            Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation; Bureau for Private  
            Postsecondary Education (BPPE); California Massage Therapy  
            Certification program; California Board of Acupuncture;  
            California Tax Preparers Program; [DHCC]; Professional  
            Fiduciaries Bureau; and Structural Pest Control Board.









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          This bill, and other sunset extension bills, are intended to  
            implement legislative changes as recommended by the Committees  
            and which are reflected in the Background Papers prepared by  
            the Committees for each agency and program reviewed for this  
            year.

          The Committees recommended in DHCC's 2014 Sunset Background  
            Paper, that "the practice of dental hygiene [should] continue  
            to be regulated by the current DHCC in order to protect the  
            interests of the public.  The DHCC should be reviewed by the  
            Committees again in four years."  The Committees found that  
            "[t]he health, safety and welfare of consumers are protected  
            by a well-regulated dental hygiene profession.  Despite a  
            quickly growing profession and the impact of a lack of staff,  
            it appears as if the DHCC has shown a strong commitment to  
            improving efficiency in its operations and protecting the  
            public.  The DHCC should be continued with a four-year  
            extension of its sunset date so that the Committees may  
            determine if the issues and recommendations in this paper have  
            been addressed"


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Eunie Linden / B., P. & C.P. / (916)  
          319-3301 


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