BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
SB 1155 (Morrell) - Professions and vocations: licenses:
military service
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|Version: March 28, 2016 |Policy Vote: B., P. & E.D. 9 - |
| | 0, V.A. 5 - 0 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: No |
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|Hearing Date: April 25, 2016 |Consultant: Jillian Kissee |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: This bill requires every board within the Department
of Consumer Affairs (Department) to grant a fee waiver for the
application and the initial licensing fee to an honorably
discharged veteran.
Fiscal
Impact:
Department-wide revenue loss of about $1.2 million to waive
applicable fees for honorably discharged veterans. Additional
workload required of each board and bureau to establish the
fee waiver in regulations prior to implementation could drive
SB 1155 (Morrell) Page 1 of
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potentially significant costs. Though most boards and bureaus
indicate that the loss of revenue and any associated workload
would be minor, this bill would exacerbate the fiscal issues
concerning several funds within the Department. See Staff
Comments (Special funds)
Additional absorbable workload to the Department to make
necessary changes to the Department's online licensing and
enforcement system, BreEZe, that would necessitate an
implementation date of January 1, 2018. Additional minor
costs for updating websites related to applications.
Background: Existing law provides for the licensure, registration, and
regulation of various professions and vocations by the boards,
bureaus, committees, programs, and commission (board(s)) within
the Department. The Department currently oversees 39 licensing
programs that issue more than two million licenses,
registrations, and certifications in nearly 200 professional
categories. These licensing boards are charged with regulating
a particular profession through licensure and enforcement
programs. Each of these entities is responsible for enforcing
the minimum qualifications for licensure that are established by
statute and regulation. Licensure requirements vary in their
specificity and flexibility.
Existing law requires after July 1, 2016, that a board within
the Department expedite, and may assist, the initial licensure
process for an applicant who supplies satisfactory evidence to
the board that the applicant has served as an active duty member
of the Armed Forces of the United States and was honorably
discharged.
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
specified requirements are met.
Existing law provides that every board within the Department
shall waive the renewal fees, continuing education requirements,
and other renewal requirements as determined by the board, if
they are applicable, for any licensee or registrant called to
active duty as a member of the United States Armed Forces or the
SB 1155 (Morrell) Page 2 of
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California National Guard if certain requirements are met.
According to the author, initial application and occupational
license fees can act as a barrier for entry to the workforce for
the 240,000 to 360,000 veterans who separate from the military
each year. Many either already reside in or intend to make
California their home, adding to the 1.9 million veterans
residing in the state.
Proposed Law:
This bill requires every board within the Department to grant
a fee waiver for the application for and issuance of a license
to an individual who is an honorably discharged veteran who
served as an active duty member of the California National Guard
or the United States Armed Forces. This bill, among other
things, restricts veterans to one fee waiver and prohibits a
waiver to be issued for a renewal of a license.
Staff
Comments: The Department estimates that approximately 8,700
applicants would have fees waived pursuant to this bill,
resulting in revenue loss of $1.2 million. According to the
Department, most boards and bureaus indicate the loss in revenue
and any associated workload would be minor and absorbable.
However, the Board of Registered Nursing anticipates a loss in
licensing revenue of about $465,000 annually which would likely
cause a decrease in the associated fund's already constrained
reserves. In addition, the Physical Therapy Board and the
Bureau of Security and Investigative Services anticipate losses
in licensing revenue of $45,000 and $298,000 annually and
respectively, which would exacerbate to the structural imbalance
of associated funds.
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