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 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Higher Education |Vote:|13 - 0 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Page 2 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 Page 3 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. AB 2317 Page 4 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