BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 773|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 773
Author: Baker (R)
Amended: 9/1/15 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE BUS, PROF. & ECON. DEV. COMMITTEE: 9-0, 6/8/15
AYES: Hill, Bates, Berryhill, Block, Galgiani, Hernandez,
Jackson, Mendoza, Wieckowski
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 7-0, 8/27/15
AYES: Lara, Bates, Beall, Hill, Leyva, Mendoza, Nielsen
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 77-0, 4/30/15 (Consent) - See last page for
vote
SUBJECT: Licenses: Medical Board of California: Board of
Psychology
SOURCE: Board of Psychology
DIGEST: This bill recasts the expiration dates for certain
licenses, certificates, and registrations issued by the Board of
Psychology (BOP) based on the date of issuance instead of a
licensee's birthdate.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)Establishes the BOP to provide for the licensure and
regulation of licensed psychologists. (BPC § 2901 et seq.)
2)States that all psychologist licenses expire and become
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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 § 2982)
3)Requires the 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 § 2982)
This bill:
1) Deletes the current birthdate renewal system for psychologist
licenses.
2) States instead that all licenses shall expire at 12 midnight
of the last date of the two-year period from the date the
license was issued.
3) Makes technical changes.
Background
Current law requires the BOP to use birth dates to determine the
renewal and expiration dates for licenses. The birth date
renewal system issues licenses for a period of time ranging
between 12 and 24 months depending on the licensee's birth
month. If, for example, a licensee has a February birth date
and his or her license is issued in March 2014, the license will
expire at midnight on February 29, 2016. If, however, a
licensee has a March birthday and his or her license is issued
in March 2014, the license will expire at midnight on March 31,
2015.
In these examples, the license in the first scenario will expire
after nearly 2 years, but in the second scenario, the license
will expire after 12 months and 5 days. Despite the varying
expiration dates, both licensees would need to pay the same
initial license fee.
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According to the author's office, "The birth date renewal system
places an unfair financial burden on first-time licensees
because all licenses have an equal fee regardless of how long
the license lasts." This bill will standardize the length of
time a license expires after issuance.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, this bill will
cause annual revenue losses to the BOP of about $80,000 per year
(Psychology Fund). The BOP will experience reduced fee revenues
of about $100 per year for each of the 800 applicants for new
licensure each year.
SUPPORT: (Verified9/1/15)
California Board of Psychology (source)
California Psychological Association
OPPOSITION: (Verified9/1/15)
None received
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: The BOP writes, "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 period. First time licensees are at
the start of their careers as psychologists and have often
incurred significant student debts in the process of earning
undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. 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."
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 77-0, 4/30/15
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom,
Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Chang, Chau,
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Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dodd,
Eggman, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia,
Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Grove,
Hadley, Harper, Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones,
Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low,
Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin,
Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen, Patterson, Perea,
Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago,
Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber,
Wilk, Williams, Wood, Atkins
NO VOTE RECORDED: Campos, Chávez, Gomez
Prepared by:Sarah Huchel / B., P. & E.D. / (916) 651-4104
9/1/15 20:29:36
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