BILL ANALYSIS
------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 403|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 403
Author: Fuller (R)
Amended: 03/25/09 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE BUSINESS, PROF. & ECON. DEV. COMM. : 7-0, 6/8/09
AYES: Negrete McLeod, Aanestad, Corbett, Correa, Romero,
Walters, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Wyland, Florez, Oropeza
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 79-0, 5/4/09 (Consent) - See last page for
vote
SUBJECT : Dental hygienists: examinations and licensure
SOURCE : California Dental Hygienists Association
DIGEST : This bill revises the examination requirements
for registered dental hygienists.
ANALYSIS :
Existing law:
1. Establishes the Dental Hygiene Committee of California
(Committee) within the Dental Board of California to
regulate the practice of registered dental hygienists
(RDHs).
CONTINUED
AB 403
Page
2
2. Requires, effective July 1, 2009, the Committee to
license an RDH who satisfies all of the following:
A. Completion of an educational program for RDHs,
approved by the Committee, accredited by the
Commission on Dental Accreditation, and conducted by
a degree-granting, postsecondary institution.
B. Satisfactory performance on a clinical examination
and an examination in California law and ethics as
prescribed by the Committee.
C. Satisfactory completion of a national written
dental hygiene examination approved by the Committee.
This bill:
1. Revises the state clinical examination requirement for
licensure of an RDH to include completion of the dental
hygiene examination given by the Western Regional
Examining Board (WREB) or any other clinical dental
hygiene examination approved by the Committee.
2. Clarifies that satisfactory completion of an examination
offered by the National Dental Hygiene Board satisfies
the national testing examination requirement for
licensure.
3. Makes other technical, nonsubstantive changes.
Background
Current law requires that a dental hygienist must complete
an educational program for RDHs, pass a clinical
examination and an examination in California law and
ethics, and complete a national written dental hygiene
examination as approved by the Committee. This bill
revises the clinical examination requirements to give
dental hygienists the option of completing an examination
offered by WREB or any other clinical dental hygiene
examination as approved by the Committee. According to its
website, WREB is a national dental and dental hygiene
testing agency. California is currently in the minority of
AB 403
Page
3
states that does not recognize regional testing
examinations for dental hygienists, and the bill's sponsor
argues that by accepting WREB in addition to the state
exam, it increases the portability and opportunities for
dental hygienists. The bill's sponsor points out that
Oregon, Arizona, Montana, Colorado, Idaho, Alaska, New
Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Washington, Wyoming, Missouri, and
Kansas use WREB to administer their dental hygiene clinical
examination.
Prior legislation . SB 1865 (Aanestad), Chapter 670,
Statutes of 2004, allowed applicants of dental licensure in
California to take written examinations administered by
WREB.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 6/23/09)
California Dental Hygienists Association (source)
California Dental Association
Department of Consumer Affairs
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the bill's sponsor,
the California Dental Hygienists Association, this bill
gives dental hygienists, consistent with the national trend
and the contemporary manner of licensure, the option of
taking the WREB clinical examination instead of the
California examination to fulfill the clinical part of
licensure requirement. It states that this bill does not
get rid of the California examination for those who choose
to take it. It gives dental hygienists the opportunity to
take the more widely accepted WREB, which increases the
portability for hygienists wanting to enter the state of
California to practice and those desiring to move
elsewhere. The California Dental Hygienists Association
argues that there is always a need for hygiene services,
especially in the rural underserved communities of
California, including skilled nursing facilities and
clinics.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AB 403
Page
4
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield,
Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter,
Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon,
DeVore, Duvall, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher,
Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani,
Garrick, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi,
Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Jeffries, Jones, Knight,
Krekorian, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza,
Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, John A.
Perez, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Price, Ruskin, Salas,
Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra
Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran,
Villines, Yamada, Bass
NO VOTE RECORDED: Huffman
JJA:mw 6/23/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
**** END ****