BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair 2015 - 2016 Regular Session SB 952 (Anderson) - Pharmacy technicians: licensure requirements ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Version: February 4, 2016 |Policy Vote: B., P. & E.D. 9 - | | | 0 | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Urgency: No |Mandate: No | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Hearing Date: April 18, 2016 |Consultant: Brendan McCarthy | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- This bill does not meet the criteria for referral to the Suspense File. Bill Summary: SB 952 would expand the number of pharmacy technician certification programs that could be recognized by the Board of Pharmacy for licensing pharmacy technicians. Fiscal Impact: One-time costs of $75,000 for the Board of Pharmacy to conduct an occupational analysis and adopt regulations (Pharmacy Board Contingent Fund). Background: Under current law, applicants for licensure as a pharmacy technician must have a high-school diploma or general educational development certificate and also meet one of four requirements: possess an associate's degree in pharmacy technology, have completed a course of training specified by the Board of Pharmacy, have graduated from a school of pharmacy, or SB 952 (Anderson) Page 1 of ? be certified by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. When the current licensing requirements were adopted, the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board was the only national certification program. Today, the National Healthcareer Association also offers certification for pharmacy technicians. Proposed Law: SB 952 would expand the number of pharmacy technician certification programs that could be recognized by the Board of Pharmacy for licensing. The bill would strike from existing law specific reference to the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board and instead reference accredited certifying organizations approved by the Board. Staff Comments: Current law requires Department of Consumer Affairs' licensing board and bureau licensing exams to be evaluated using an occupational analysis. The purpose of the occupational analysis is to determine what knowledge and skills are required for a licensed profession, to ensure that a licensing exam fairly and accurately tests for those attributes. Currently, there is no occupational analysis for pharmacy technicians. This posed a problem for the Office of Professional Examination Services within the Department of Consumer Affairs when it attempted to assess the certification examinations offered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board and the National Healthcareer Association. The Department of Consumer Affairs indicates that the Board of Pharmacy intends to perform an occupational analysis in order to determine whether to recognize additional certification exams. Increasing the number of entities that are eligible to certify prospective pharmacy technicians is not expected to significantly increase the number of applicants for licensure in the state. -- END -- SB 952 (Anderson) Page 2 of ?