BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 773
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CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB
773 (Baker)
As Amended September 1, 2015
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |77-0 |(April 30, |SENATE: |40-0 |(September 3, |
| | |2015) | | |2015) |
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Original Committee Reference: B. & P.
SUMMARY: Changes the expiration date of a psychologist's
license from the licensee's birthdate to two-years after the
date of issuance. Specifically, 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 Board of Psychology (BOP) to
establish regulation procedures for the birthdate renewal
program as specified.
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The Senate amendments added licensees, certificate holders or
registrants under the Medical Board of California to the revised
birthdate renewal system and subsequently deleted those
requirements.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, 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.
COMMENTS:
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."
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
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required to renew their license every two years based on their
birth date.
Birthdate Renewal for Licensure. The BOP utilizes a 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. The current birth date renewal program does
not offer a prorated license fee for initial licenses.
Under the birthdate renewal system, licenses are 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.
Currently, there are a number of licensing boards under the
Department of Consumer Affairs which 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.
Analysis Prepared by:
Elissa Silva / B. & P. / (916) 319-3301 FN:
0001981
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