BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2317
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 4, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez, Chair
AB
2317 (Mullin) - As Introduced February 18, 2016
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|Policy |Higher Education |Vote:|13 - 0 |
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: No
Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill authorizes the California State University (CSU) to
award the Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) degree. Specifically, the
bill:
1)Specifies that the Au.D. degree offered by the CSU shall be
distinguished from doctoral degree programs at the UC.
2)Stipulates that state funding for students in the program
shall come within amounts allocated in the annual Budget Act
AB 2317
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to the CSU for enrollment growth, shall be at the
marginal-cost CSU receives for graduate enrollment, shall not
alter CSU's ratio of graduate instruction to total enrollment,
and shall not diminish undergraduate enrollment growth.
3)Stipulates that each student enrolled in an Au.D. degree
program shall be charged fees no higher than the rate charged
for students in state-supported doctoral degree programs in
audiology at the UC, including joint CSU/UC Au.D. programs.
4)Stipulates that CSU shall provide initial start-up funding
from within existing budgets for academic program support and
that funding shall not reduce undergraduate enrollments.
FISCAL EFFECT:
No net state costs. Should any CSU campus elect to start an
Au.D. program, funding will come from reallocations within the
campus's budget and within amounts allocated to CSU, and that
campus, for graduate student enrollment growth. This is the same
fiscal impact as when a CSU campus is approved to start any new
graduate-level program, except in this circumstance, the CSU
needs specific legislative authorization because the new program
is a Doctorate.
CSU previously offered Master's-level education in audiology
programs. The California licensing requirements for audiologists
changed in 2008 to mandate that audiology applicants who
graduated from an audiology training program after January 1,
2008, must hold an Au.D. degree from an approved institution.
With this change, all such CSU programs were closed. CSU
indicates that the remaining audiology faculty and equipment are
still available at some CSU campuses, which it believes will
make it possible to implement Au.D. programs without significant
new investment. The CSU Chancellor's Office would authorize
AB 2317
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programs only at CSU campuses with interest, sufficient
resources, and demonstrated student demand. As with other CSU
Doctoral programs, establishment of a Au.D. would not be allowed
to negatively affect a campus's undergraduate enrollments or the
quality of undergraduate degree programs.
COMMENTS:
1)Background and Purpose. Audiologists are health care
professionals who provide diagnostic and rehabilitation care
for individuals of all ages who have hearing and balance
disorders. According to the California Academy of Audiology
(CAA), approximately 1,600 licensed audiologists reside in
California; it appears there is an inadequate in-state
pipeline, which this bill seeks to address. According to the
Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and Hearing Aid
Dispensers Board (SLPAHADB) of California, by 2030, it is
estimated that California will need approximately 750 more
audiologists in order to keep up with the need of the state's
hearing impaired.
2)Current Programs. San Diego State University and UC San Diego
are the only public universities offering a joint Au.D. degree
program. According to SLPAHADB, from 2007-08 and 2013-14, this
joint program awarded a total of 61 audiology degrees.
The University of the Pacific (UOP), a non-profit private
postsecondary institution, launched the state's first private
Au.D. degree program in Fall 2015. UOP expects to admit
approximately 20 students per year.
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3)Prior Legislation. The Legislature has authorized CSU to offer
certain professional doctoral degrees, not typically offered
by the UC, to fulfill specific unmet needs state:
a) AB 867 (Nava), Chapter 416, Statutes of 2010, authorizes
a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree until January 1, 2019,
with an LAO program evaluation report due prior to the
sunset date.
b) AB 2382 (Blumenfield), Chapter 425, Statutes of 2010,
authorizes a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree, also until
January 2, 2019.
c) SB 724 (Scott), Chapter 269, Statutes of 2005,
authorizes a Doctor of Education degree focused on
preparing administrative leaders for the states K-12
schools and community colleges.
Analysis Prepared by:Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916)
319-2081