BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 773
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Date of Hearing: April 14, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS
Susan Bonilla, Chair
AB 773
(Baker) - As Introduced February 25, 2015
SUBJECT: Psychology licensing.
SUMMARY: Changes the expiration date of a psychologist's
license from the licensee's birthdate to two-years after the
date of issuance.
EXISTING LAW
1) Establishes the Psychology Licensing Law which provides
for the licensure and regulation of licensed Psychologists.
(Business and Professions Code (BPC) Section 2901 et seq.)
2) Requires an applicant for licensure as a psychologist to
comply with the following requirements: (BPC Section 2914)
a) Not be subject to denial, as specified;
b) Possess an earned doctorate degree, as specified;
c) Have engaged for at least two years in supervised
professional experience under the direction of a licensed
psychologist;
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d) Take and pass an examination, as specified; and,
e) Show by evidence satisfactory to BOP that he or she has
completed training in the detection and treatment of
alcohol and other chemical dependency, as specified.
3) States that all licenses expire and become invalid at
midnight on the last day of February, 1980, and thereafter
expire at midnight of the legal birth date of the licensee
during the second year of a two-year term if not renewed.
(BPC Section 2982)
4) Requires the Board of Psychology (BOP) to establish
regulations for the administration of the birth date renewal
program including the establishment of a pro rata formula
for the payment of fees by licentiates affected by the
implementation of that program, and the establishment of a
staggered license application system so that a relatively
equal number of licensees expire annually. (BPC Section
2982)
THIS BILL
1)Deletes the current birthdate renewal system for a
psychologist's license.
2)Provides that a psychologist's license will expire at midnight
on the last date of a two-year period from the date the
license was issued.
3)Deletes the requirement for the BOP to establish regulation
procedures for the birthdate renewal program as specified.
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FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown. This bill is keyed fiscal by the
Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose. This bill is sponsored by the BOP . According to the
author, "This bill will amend [BPC] Section 2982, which
addresses the renewal and expiration of psychology licenses
under the [BOP's] birth date renewal system. The bill would
replace the current birth date renewal system with a new
system in which licenses will expire at midnight on the last
date of a two-year period following the initial issuance date.
This bill will provide clarity and consistency for psychology
licensure."
2)Background. This bill will revise the BOP's current licensure
renewal program by specifying that a psychologist's license
will expire at midnight on the last day of a two-year period
from when the license was issued as opposed to the current
system which requires a license to expire on the licensee's
birthdate.
Licensure Requirements. Licensed psychologists are required
to obtain a doctoral degree from an accredited institution in
psychology, educational psychology or in a field specializing
in counseling psychology or educational psychology.
Psychologists are required to complete 3000 hours (minimum
two-years) of supervised experience, of which 1500 must be
completed after obtaining a doctoral degree. Current license
holders are required to renew their license every two-years
based on their birth date.
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Birthdate Renewal for Licensure. The BOP utilizes the birth
date renewal system for its licensing population which was
implemented more than 20 years ago. The birth date renewal
system was intended to spread out the BOP's revenue and work
flow with respect to processing renewal applications during
peak application times. In the past, the BOP conducted an
oral examination which was offered only twice a year. As a
result of the limited examination offerings, an abundance of
applications would be received and processed at one time, with
a high volume of renewals to follow two-years later. The
birth date renewal program would help to spread this workload
out across the year as birthdates vary greatly. However, the
current birth date renewal program does not offer a prorated
license fee for initial licenses.
According to the sponsor, when a licensed is issued by the
BOP, to maintain the birth date renewal system, the license is
issued for a period of between 12 and 24 months based on the
issue date and the licensee's birth month. For example, if a
license is issued March 26, 2014 and the licensee has a
February birthday, the license will expire on February 29,
2016 (or 23 months and 5 days); however, if the license is
issued March 26, 2014 and the licensee has a March birthday,
the license will expire on March 31, 2015 (only 12 months and
five days from issuance) and both licensees would pay the same
initial license fee and renewal fee of $400 regardless if the
license has been issued for between 12 and 24 months. This
bill will change the renewal date cycle, thereby placing all
licensed psychologists on the same renewal cycle which will be
based on issuance dates rather than birthdates. This should
alleviate the concerns of any new licensee who is paying the
full licensure fee for an abbreviated initial licensing
timeframe.
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Currently, there are a number of licensing boards under the
Department of Consumer Affairs who utilize a birth date
renewal system including the Acupuncture Board, the Board of
Occupational Therapy, the Dental Board, the Medical Board, the
Physical Therapy Board, the Veterinarian Medical Board, and
the Board of Occupational Therapy.
The BOP reports that it issues anywhere between 50 to 80
initial licenses per month, approximately 20 a week, and they
do not anticipate a significant workload increase as a result
of this bill.
AB 483 (Patterson) of the current legislative session,
attempts to change the initial licensing fee for the above
mentioned entities by requiring the initial license to be
prorated based on the length of the initial license. This
bill is different from AB 483, because it will completely
delete the birth date renewal for the psychology licensees.
3)Current Related Legislation. AB 483 (Patterson) of the
current legislative session would require fees imposed, as
specified, for an initial license, an initial temporary or
permanent license, or an original license to be prorated on a
monthly basis. STATUS: This bill is pending in the Assembly
Committee on Business and Professions.
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4)Prior Related Legislation. AB 1758 (Patterson) of 2014 would
have required the initial license fee for the following
licensing categories to be prorated on a monthly basis:
dentists; dental hygienists; physicians and surgeons; hearing
aid dispensers; occupational therapists; physical therapists;
psychologists; veterinary technicians; veterinarians;
acupuncturists; and architects. NOTE: This bill was held in
the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 2014 (Machado) of 2002 would have directed the MBC to
prorate its annual licensing fees in cases where the initial
licensure period is less than two years, and deleted an
obsolete oral examination fee authority. NOTE: This bill was
held in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 1045 (Murray) of 2000 would have directed the MBC to
prorate its annual licensing fees in cases where the initial
licensure period is less than two years. NOTE: This bill was
held in the Senate.
SB 663 (Maddy), Chapter 626, Statutes of 1992, authorized the
VMB to adopt regulations for the waiver or refund of initial
registration fees if the registration is issued less than 45
days before it will expire. NOTE: This bill was held on the
Senate Floor.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT
The BOP writes in support, "[This bill], which will ensure
initial psychologist licenses expire two years from the initial
issuance date. First time licensees of the [BOP] are currently
paying the full license amount for their license when they are
not always receiving that license for the complete two-year
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period.?The establishment of an initial license period that is
always 24 months will stop these licensees paying a full fee for
an abbreviated license period."
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION
None on file.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
The California Board of Psychology (sponsor)
The California Psychological Association
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by:Elissa Silva / B. & P. / (916) 319-3301
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