BILL ANALYSIS Ó SB 1139 Page 1 Date of Hearing: August 3, 2016 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Lorena Gonzalez, Chair SB 1139 (Lara) - As Amended August 1, 2016 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Health |Vote:|13 - 4 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No SUMMARY: This bill prohibits denying admission to several types of health professions programs based on an applicants' citizenship or immigration status. Specifically, this bill: 1)Prohibits specified health care workforce grant, loan forgiveness, and scholarship programs administered by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) from denying an application based on an applicants' citizenship or immigration status. 2)Specifies applicants to medical programs at any public or private postsecondary educational institution may not be SB 1139 Page 2 denied admission on the basis of citizenship status or immigrant status. 3)Specifies healing arts residency training program applicant may not be denied admission on the basis of citizenship status or immigrant status, if the program's participants are unpaid. 4)Provides that (2) and (3) do not apply to certain nonimmigrant individuals. FISCAL EFFECT: Administrative costs to OSHPD to modify regulations for health care workforce grant, loan forgiveness, and scholarship programs in the range of $60,000 (Health Professions Education Fund, funded by various fees, grants, and private donations), as well as potential minor costs to review additional applications. COMMENTS: 1)Purpose. This bill intends to reduce barriers to undocumented individuals to access health care workforce programs, while also addressing service gaps that are desperately needed in immigrant communities. The author also explains that undocumented students face challenges when applying to medical schools and medical residency training programs due to their citizenship or immigration status. This bill would clarify the eligibility of undocumented individuals who meet the requirements to apply to medical schools and certain healthcare residency training programs. 2)Background. OSHPD administers several healthcare workforce SB 1139 Page 3 programs, which generally provide a financial benefit to practitioners who agree to practice in federally designated medically underserved areas. These programs can help offset the large expense incurred while pursuing a medical education, while enhancing access to care in disadvantaged communities. According to the Immigrant Policy Center, there are roughly 1.4 million immigrants who may qualify for "deferred action" on immigration enforcement for youth and young adults who were brought to the United States as children, including 412,000 in California. For these young people, a career in the medical profession can prove difficult based on various barriers to entry, which this bill attempts to address. 3)Recent Amendments. A prior version of this bill prohibited denial of admission to medical residency programs based on citizenship or immigration status. Because residency programs are generally administered as employment relationships and persons without satisfactory immigration status are not legally authorized to work pursuant to federal law, this provision was recently removed from the bill. The bill currently prohibits denying admission to such programs on the basis of citizenship status or immigrant status if the program's participants are unpaid. Analysis Prepared by:Lisa Murawski / APPR. / (916) 319-2081 SB 1139 Page 4