BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 724|
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Bill No: SB 724
Author: Senate Business and Professions Committee
Amended: 8/23/01
Vote: 27
SENATE BUSINESS & PROFESSIONS COMMITTEE : 4-0, 4/2/01
AYES: Figueroa, Machado, O'Connell, Polanco
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
SENATE FLOOR : 39-0, 5/7/01
AYES: Ackerman, Alarcon, Alpert, Battin, Bowen, Brulte,
Burton, Chesbro, Costa, Dunn, Escutia, Figueroa, Haynes,
Johannessen, Johnson, Karnette, Knight, Kuehl, Margett,
McClintock, McPherson, Monteith, Morrow, Murray,
O'Connell, Oller, Ortiz, Peace, Perata, Polanco,
Poochigian, Romero, Scott, Sher, Soto, Speier, Torlakson,
Vasconcellos, Vincent
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : Not available
SUBJECT : Businesses
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill makes various changes in the laws and
licensing boards regulating health care professionals,
architects, and contractors.
Assembly Amendments (a) add, and make minor amendments to,
provisions previously contained in SB 771 (Senate Business
CONTINUED
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and Professions Committee), as amended July 3, 2001,
relating to architects and contractors; and (b) amend the
prior version of SB 724 to remove the opposition of the
California Medical Association and to respond to amendments
requested by several of the affected licensing boards.
ANALYSIS : This bill:
1. Makes technical and clarifying changes, extends
sunsets, and/or clarifies the enforcement authority of
the Medical Board of California, Dental Board of
California, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
Board, Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric
Technicians, Board of Pharmacy, Board of Behavioral
Sciences, California Architects Board, and Contractors
State Licensing Board.
2. Repeals provisions establishing an examining
committee of the Dental Board of California to
investigate licensure applicants and instead requires
the board to use examiners who meet specified criteria,
including possession of a state dental license.
3. Reduces the biennial license renewal fee by 50
percent, upon request, for any licensee unable to
practice dentistry because of a disability.
4. Extends the January 1, 2002, sunset date on
provisions governing administration of general
anesthesia by a physician or surgeon in a dentist's
office by two to four years.
5. Extends the July 1, 2002, sunset date for the
Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board by two
years, to July 1, 2004.
6. Requires persons whose license has been revoked,
suspended, surrendered, or placed on probation by the
Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians
to wait for specified time periods ranging from one to
three years before petitioning for reinstatement.
7. Limits to 180 days, temporary permits issued by the
Board of Pharmacy to a pharmacy that has changed
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ownership. Current law does not have any time limit.
8. Adds counseling with an emphasis in marriage and
family therapy to the list of qualifying degrees for
licensure as a marriage, family and child counselor.
Requires applicants for licensure as a clinical social
worker to have completed specified contact hours of
training or coursework in human sexuality and child
abuse assessment and reporting.
9. Adds to the definition of "contractor," persons who
install, repair, maintain or calibrate monitoring
equipment for underground storage tanks.
10. Requires county clerks to issue temporary
identification cards, valid for 120 days, to applicants
seeking to register as process servers and whose
federal and state criminal background checks are
pending.
Comments
This bill is an omnibus bill to enact non-controversial
provisions relating to various professional licensing
boards. It updates statutes to reflect changes to programs
over the past year, makes technical and minor changes, and
improves the administration of the various boards by
clarifying ambiguous provisions or enhancing enforcement
authority. The author indicates any provisions generating
controversy will be either amended or deleted.
Related Bill
SB 134 (Figueroa) repeals and re-establishes the Dental
Board of California until January 1, 2005 (inoperative on
July 1, 2004).
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: Yes Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee,
insignificant to moderate fiscal impact on the affected
regulatory boards.
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The dentistry provisions would have moderate impact-less
than $100,000 annually-on the Dental Board. The provisions
relating to the use of expert examiners are estimated to
cost $40,200 in Fiscal Year 2001-02 (half-year) and $69,400
in Fiscal Year 2002-03 and annually thereafter (State
Dental Auxiliary Fund). The 50 percent reduction in
biennial renewal fees for disabled licensees would result
in $29,500 revenue loss annually (State Dentistry Fund).
The requirement for county clerks to issue temporary ID
cards is likely not state-reimbursable because there would
be offsetting savings in clerks' time to retrieve ID cards
of persons not passing the criminal background check.
SUPPORT : (Verified 9/5/01)
Board of Behavioral Sciences
Board of Pharmacy
Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians
California Academy of Audiology
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
Dental Board of California
California Association of Clerks and Election Officials
Medical Board of California
CP:kb 9/5/01 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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