BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
SB 1194 (Hill) - Psychology: Board of Psychology: personnel
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|Version: April 21, 2016 |Policy Vote: B., P. & E.D. 9 - |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: Yes |
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|Hearing Date: May 9, 2016 |Consultant: Brendan McCarthy |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: SB 1194 would extend the statutory sunset on the Board
of Psychology to 2021. The bill would authorize the Board to
issue a Retired Psychologist license and make a variety of other
changes to the licensing requirements for psychologists and
Board operations.
Fiscal
Impact:
Ongoing costs of about $5 million per year for the continued
operation of the Board of Psychology (Psychology Fund). The
Board is entirely funded with licensing fees.
Ongoing revenue loss of about $57,000 per year offset
initially by one-time revenue of $86,000, due to current
licensees shifting from an inactive psychology license to a
retired psychology license (Psychology Fund). Over time, there
will be minor annual revenue from new retired license
applications, which will partially offset the ongoing revenue
loss. The reduction in annual renewal fees will generally be
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offset by a reduction in administrative workload for the Board
to process renewal applications.
Under current law, a licenses psychologist who is no longer
practicing can apply for and be granted an inactive license.
An inactive license must be renewed every two years and
requires a $50 renewal fee. This bill creates a retired
psychologist license that would require a one-time $75 fee.
Most of the applicants for the new license are likely to
currently have an inactive license or would apply for one upon
retirement. Therefore, the Board will experience a revenue
loss from the shift from licensees shifting from a renewable
license to one with a one-time fee.
No other significant costs are anticipated to the Board from
the other changes in the bill.
Background: Under current law, the Board of Psychology licenses and
regulates the practice of licensed psychologists, registered
psychological assistants, and registered psychologists. Current
law imposes specified requirements on those professionals,
including academic and professional training requirements and
continuing education requirements.
Under current law, the Board is not authorized to issue a
retired psychologist license to a psychologist who is no longer
practicing. (Several other Department of Consumer Affairs
licensing boards and bureaus have such a license category.)
Under current law, a licensed psychologist can apply for an
inactive license. That license must be renewed every two years
and requires a $50 renewal fee.
Proposed Law:
SB 1194 would extend the statutory sunset on the Board of
Psychology to 2021. The bill would authorize the Board to issue
a Retired Psychologist license and make a variety of other
changes to the licensing requirements for psychologists and
Board operations.
Specific provisions of the bill would:
Delete existing employment restrictions on psychological
assistants;
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Delete the option for a licensed psychologist to
supervise more than three psychological assistants with
Board authorization;
Delete provisions of law related to the employment or
supervision of a psychological assistant by a licensed
psychiatrist;
Require applicants for licensure to have graduated from
an institution of higher learning accredited by a regional
accreditation agency approved by the federal Department of
Education;
Authorize the Board, until 2020, to accept an applicant
for licensure who possesses a doctoral degree from an
unaccredited institution but that is approved to operate in
the state by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary
Education;
Revise the term "continuing education" to "continuing
professional development" and makes several changes to
existing requirements;
Authorize the Board to post specified information on
licensees on its website;
Authorize the Board to issue a retired psychologist
license, with a one-time $75 fee;
Extend the statutory sunset of the Board to January 1,
2021;
Make a number of technical changes.
Staff
Comments: This bill is one of a number of Department of
Consumer Affairs licensing board and bureau sunset extension
bills authored by the chair of either the Senate or Assembly
Business and Professions Committees. The changes to the
licensing and operational requirements of the Board have been
developed through those committees' sunset review process.
The only costs that may be incurred by a local agency relate to
crimes and infractions. Under the California Constitution, such
costs are not reimbursable by the state.
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