BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 178 (Bonilla) - Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric
Technicians of the State of California: executive officer:
enforcement program monitor
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|Version: June 24, 2015 |Policy Vote: B., P. & E.D. 7 - |
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|Urgency: Yes |Mandate: Yes |
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|Hearing Date: July 13, 2015 |Consultant: Brendan McCarthy |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: AB 178 would suspend the practical examination
requirement for licensure as a registered dental assistant until
July 1, 2017. The bill would require the Director of Consumer
Affairs to appoint an enforcement program monitor over the
licensing enforcement program of the Board of Vocational Nursing
and Psychiatric Technicians.
Fiscal
Impact:
One-time costs of $140,000 to change the information
technology systems used by the Dental Board of California to
accommodate the suspension of the practical examination (State
Dentistry Fund). The cost to modify information technology
systems includes changes to the system currently in use by the
Dental Board and updates to the BreEZe system, which the
Dental Board will begin using to process licensing
applications and renewals in 2016.
AB 178 (Bonilla) Page 1 of
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No significant additional costs are anticipated to review the
current practical examination in use by the Dental Board, as
the Board has already begun this process.
Annual costs of about $180,000 per year to support the
Executive Officer position at the Board of Vocational Nursing
and Psychiatric Technicians, including salary, benefits, and
overhead costs (Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians
Fund). Current law sunsets the statutory authority for the
Executive Officer position on January 1, 2016. This bill
extends the authority to employ this position until January 1,
2018.
Total costs of about $350,000 over three fiscal years to
employ an enforcement program monitor over the enforcement
program at the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric
Technicians (Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians
Fund).
Background: Under current law, applicants for licensure as a registered
dental assistant must meet specified educational requirements
and work experience as a dental assistant. In addition,
applicants must pass both a written and practical examination
administered by the Dental Board of California. In August of
2014, the Dental board recalibrated the practical examination.
Subsequent to that change, the pass rate for applicants dropped
from over 80% in recent years to between 19% and 38% over the
last several exam cycles. The Dental Board is currently in the
process of pursuing an occupational analysis to validate the
practical exam (to ensure that the practical examination
accurately tests the skills gained during practical work
experience and are necessary for the practice of dental
assistance.)
The Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians
underwent a sunset review by the Legislature in 2014. Through
that process, serious issues were raised about the Board's
enforcement of its licensing requirements.
Proposed Law:
AB 178 (Bonilla) Page 2 of
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AB 178 would suspend the practical examination requirement for
licensure as a registered dental assistant until July 1, 2017.
The bill would require the Director of Consumer Affairs to
appoint an enforcement program monitor over the licensing
enforcement program of the Board of Vocational Nursing and
Psychiatric Technicians.
Specific provisions of this bill would:
Suspend the practical examination requirement for
registered dental assistant applicants until July 1, 2017;
Require the Dental Board of California to conduct a
review of the necessity of requiring a practical
examination as part of the licensing process for registered
dental assistants;
Extend the sunset on the statutory authority for the
Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians to
employ an Executive Officer to January 1, 2018;
Delete the requirement that the Executive Officer by a
licensed vocational nurse, licensed professional nurse, or
licensed psychiatric technician;
Require the Director of Consumer Affairs to appoint an
enforcement program monitor over the Board of Vocational
Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians no later than October
1, 2015;
Require the enforcement program monitor to be in place
for no more than two years;
Require a report from the enforcement program monitor to
the Legislature;
Sunset the authority for the enforcement program monitor
on January 1, 2018;
Require the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric
Technicians to review and report on the Board's staffing
resources.
This bill is an urgency measure.
Related
Legislation: AB 179 (Bonilla and Hill) would extend the
operation of the Dental Board of California until January 1,
2020 and would extend the operation of the Board of Vocational
Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians until January 1, 2018. That
bill will be heard in this committee.
AB 178 (Bonilla) Page 3 of
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