BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Jack Scott, Chair
2005-2006 Regular Session
BILL NO: SB 139
AUTHOR: Scott
INTRODUCED: January 25, 2007
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: April 25, 2007
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Nancy Anton
SUBJECT : Nursing Education
SUMMARY
This bill (1) makes changes to the terms of the State
Nursing Assumption Program Loans for Education -- State
Facilities (SNAPLE-SF), and (2) requires the Office of
Statewide Health Planning and Development to collect and
annually report specified health profession data.
BACKGROUND
Current law (SB 1309, Scott; Chapter 837, Statutes of 2006)
among other things, established the State Nurses Assumption
Program of Loans for Education - State Facilities
(SNAPLE-SF) to provide up to $20,000 in loan assumption
benefits ($5,000 per year for each of 4 years of
employment) as an incentive for registered nurses to seek
employment in 24-hour state facilities (e.g. prisons,
mental hospitals, veteran's homes). The 2006-07 Budget
included authorization for 40 warrants under this program.
The California Student Aid Commission, charged with
administering this program, is currently in the process of
adopting regulations for this program.
ANALYSIS
This bill :
1) Clarifies that registered nurses currently employed in
a 24-hour state facility are not eligible to
participate in the SNAPLE-SF program.
2) Requires the Office of Statewide Health Planning and
Development (OSHPD) to collect and annually report to
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the Legislature data, as specified, related to
education and employment trends in health care
professions, current supply and demand for health care
workers in California and policies needed to address
issue of healthcare workforce shortages and
distribution. The bill states that the costs
associated with collecting and reporting this data
shall be funded by the California Health Data and
Planning Fund, as specified.
3) Amends existing statutory intent language regarding
funding for nursing program enrollment growth at the
University of California (UC) and the California State
University (CSU), as specified.
4) States intent language that colleges and universities
operating registered nursing programs should not
require admitted students who have already earned a
bachelor's degree to complete general education
requirements but, rather should require these students
to complete only the coursework necessary to prepare
them for licensing as registered nurses.
5) Makes other minor and technical changes, as specified.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Heard last week by Senate Health Committee . This bill
was heard by the Senate Health Committee on April 18,
2007 and passed to this Committee on a 10-0 vote. The
Health Committee adopted the following amendment,
however, due to time constraints that amendment will
have to be formally adopted in this Committee today.
Accordingly, staff recommends that the following
OSHPD-related amendments be adopted:
a) Page 7, line 4, delete: "is responsible for
establishing" and, instead, insert: "shall
establish"
b) Page 7, line 6, delete: "pipeline"
In addition, staff recommends that the following
additional clarifying amendments related to the OSHPD
provisions also be adopted:
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c) Page 7, line 16, after "collect" insert: "to
the extent available"
d) Page 7, line 21, after "specialty", insert:
"including, but not limited to data on race,
ethnicity and languages spoken"
e) Page 7, line 26, after "distribution",
insert: "including, but not limited to the number
of educational slots, number of enrollments,
attrition rate, and wait time to enter the
program of study."
2) OSHPD . The provisions of the bill directing OSHPD to
collect and report specified health professions data
was initially a part of SB 1309 of last session. This
provision was deleted from the bill in the Assembly
Appropriations Committee due to its General Fund cost.
At the suggestion of OSHPD, this provision has been
re-introduced as part of this bill and the cost has
been transferred to OSHPD's data fund.
3) SNAPLE-SF clarification needed . Information from the
author's office indicates that the provision of this
bill precluding RNs who are currently employed in a
24-hour state facility from participating in the
SNAPLE-SF loan assumption program is consistent with
the author's intent when this program was established
last year. As drafted, however, this bill appears to
also preclude these RNs from participating in SNAPLE
for college faculty program. Staff recommends that
the bill be amended to clarify that RNs employed at
24-hour state facilities are eligible to participate
in the SNAPLE college faculty program but not the
SNAPLE-SF program.
In addition, it is staff's understanding that the SNAPLE
college faculty program, which provides loan
assumption benefits to RNs who become college nursing
faculty, is currently available only to students who
are seeking an advanced degree in nursing but not to
RNs who already have such a degree. Staff recommends
that amendments be adopted to clarify that RNs who
already have an advanced degree, but are not college
faculty, are also eligible to participate in this
program. Consistent with the author's intent, this
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will expand the pool of potential faculty candidates
and expedite the overall goals of the program.
Current law authorizes 100 warrants for this program.
It is staff's understanding that none of them have yet
been issued.
4) Change from intent to statutory . This bill includes
intent language regarding eliminating any requirement
for students who already have a bachelor's degree and
enroll in a registered nursing program from having to
complete any general education course requirements
that is not part of the content required for their
nursing degree. This would save time and money for
both the student and the state. Information from the
author's office indicates that it would make more
sense for this provision to be drafted as direct
statute rather than intent. Staff recommends that the
bill be so amended.
5) Clean-Up and Other Proposed Amendments . Information
from a variety of California Community College (CCC)
nursing directors, staff at the Chancellor's Office
and the author's office indicates that several
provisions of the recently enacted SB 1309 need
clarification and/or addressing. Accordingly, staff
recommends that the following amendments be adopted:
a) EC 78261 (a) (2): Replace "validated" with
recognize and "certification" with "licensure".
b) EC 78261 (d): Delete "and the Chancellor of
the California Community Colleges"
c) EC 78261: Add a subsection to indicate that
up to 3 percent of these funds may be used for
statewide administration, program development,
program evaluation and program accountability.
d) EC 78261 (e): Delete "Prior" and insert:
"Notwithstanding section 78213 or any other
provision of law, prior"
e) EC 78261 Clarify that the diagnostic
assessment tools are those that are commonly used
by RN programs, approved by the Chancellor, and
are available to all CCC nursing programs, as
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specified.
f) EC 78261 Clarify that after using the
diagnostic assessment tools if the number of
applicants exceeds an RN program's capacity, the
CCC governing board is authorized, subject to
specified limitation, to authorize the use of
additional objective multi-criteria screening
measures, as specified.
g) EC 87482: Clarify that clinical nursing
faculty who are authorized to be employed for up
to four semesters rather than two semesters
refers to any full-time or part-time clinical
nursing faculty teaching 60% time or more.
6) Criminal Background Check for CCC Nursing Students .
Nursing students must obtain a criminal background
clearance in order to begin the clinical portion of
their nursing studies (this is where they work
directly in a hospital setting). Because of this
requirement, nursing programs typically require that
this clearance be obtained at the time of initial
enrollment. Concern has been raised that it may not
be clear under existing law that nursing programs may
require this clearance. Staff recommends that the
bill be amended to make this authority clear.
SUPPORT
American Nurses Association of California
California Hospital Association
California Nurses Association
Latino Coalition for a Healthy California
OPPOSITION
None received.