Amended in Senate March 28, 2016

Senate BillNo. 1155


Introduced by Senator Morrell

February 18, 2016


An act to add Section 114.6 to the Business and Professions Code, relating to professions and vocations.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 1155, as amended, Morrell. Professions and vocations: licenses: military service.

Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of various professions and vocations by boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law authorizes any licensee whose license expired while he or she was on active duty as a member of the California National Guard or the United States Armed Forces to reinstate his or her license without examination or penalty if certain requirements are met. Existing law also requires the boards to waive the renewal fees, continuing education requirements, and other renewal requirements, if applicable, of any licensee or registrant called to active duty as a member of the United States Armed Forces or the California National Guard, if certain requirements are met. Existing law requires each board to inquire in every application if the individual applying for licensure is serving in, or has previously served in, the military. Existing law, on and after July 1, 2016, requires a board within the Department of Consumer Affairs to expedite, and authorizes a board to assist, the initial licensure process for an applicant who has served as an active duty member of thebegin delete Armed Forces of theend delete United Statesbegin insert Armed Forcesend insert and was honorably discharged.

This bill would requirebegin delete the Department of Consumer Affairs, in consultation with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Military Department, to establish and maintain a program that grantsend deletebegin insert every board within the Department of Consumer Affairs to grantend insert a fee waiver for the application for and the issuance of an initial license to an individual who is an honorably discharged veteran, as specified.

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

3

114.6.  

begin deleteThe Department of Consumer Affairs, in consultation
4with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Military
5Department, shall establish and maintain a program that grants end delete

6begin insertNotwithstanding any other provision of law, every board within
7the departmentend insert
begin insert shall grant end inserta fee waiver for the application for and
8issuance of a license to an individual who is an honorably
9discharged veteran who served as an active duty member of the
10California National Guard or the United States Armed Forces.
11Under this program, all of the following apply:

12(a) begin deleteThe Department of Consumer Affairs shall grant only one
13fee waiver to a veteran. end delete
begin insertA veteran shall be granted only one fee
14waiver.end insert

15(b) The fee waiver shall apply only to an application of and a
16license issued to an individual veteran and not to an application
17of or a license issued to a business or other entity.

18(c) A waiver shall not be issued for a renewal of a license or for
19the application for and issuance of a license other than one initial
20license.



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