California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 2235


Introduced by Assembly Member Thurmond

February 18, 2016


An act to add Section 1601.4 to the Business and Professions Code, relating to healing arts.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2235, as introduced, Thurmond. Board of Dentistry: pediatric anesthesia: committee.

The Dental Practice Act provides for the licensure and regulation of dentists by the Dental Board of California. That act authorizes a committee of the board to evaluate all suggestions or requests for regulatory changes related to the committee and to hold informational hearings in order to report and make appropriate recommendations to the board, after consultation with departmental legal counsel and the board’s chief executive officer. The act requires a committee to include in any report regarding a proposed regulatory change, at a minimum, the specific language or the proposed change or changes and the reasons therefor, and any facts supporting the need for the change.

The act governs the use of general anesthesia, conscious sedation, and oral conscious sedation for pediatric and adult patients.

This bill would require the board, on or before March 31, 2017, to establish a committee to investigate whether the current laws, regulations, and policies of the state are sufficient to guard against unnecessary use of anesthesia for young patients and potential injury or death. The bill would require the committee, on or before December 1, 2017, to review all incident reports related to pediatric anesthesia in dentistry in the state for the years 2011 through 2016, inclusive, and to review the policies of other states and dental associations to ensure that this state has regulation and policies in place to do everything feasible to protect young patients.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

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SECTION 1.  

Section 1601.4 is added to the Business and
2Professions Code
, to read:

3

1601.4.  

The board, on or before March 31, 2017, shall establish
4a committee to investigate whether the current laws, regulations,
5and policies of the state are sufficient to guard against unnecessary
6use of anesthesia for young patients and potential injury or death.
7On or before December 1, 2017, the committee shall review all
8incident reports related to pediatric anesthesia in dentistry in the
9state for the years 2011 through 2016, inclusive, and shall review
10the policies of other states and dental associations to ensure that
11this state has regulation and policies in place to do everything
12feasible to protect young patients.



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