BILL ANALYSIS
AB 549
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Date of Hearing: January 21, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Kevin De Leon, Chair
AB 549 (Furutani) - As Amended: January 6, 2010
Policy Committee: Business &
Professions Vote: 11-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill adds "clinical biochemical geneticist" to the
professional classifications available to individuals seeking
licensure by the California Department of Public Health (DPH) to
work in various medical settings, including clinical labs and
hospitals. In addition, this bill expands the types of evidence
of work experience and training used to qualify for licensure.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)One-time fee-supported special fund costs of $175,000 to DPH
to develop regulations to add the professional classification
established by this bill.
2)According to the author and sponsor, there are fewer than
1,500 clinical biochemical geneticists nationally. Therefore
any ongoing workload created by this bill should be minor.
Statewide, DPH licenses more than 50,000 professionals as
clinical laboratory scientists (CLS), CLS specialists, and
phlebotomists. This bill adds a more specialized designation
to this licensing landscape. According to DPH data, fewer than
100 professionals may seek licensure under the category
established in this bill.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . This bill is sponsored by the City of Hope to
increase the specificity of professional licensure for highly
trained scientists in the specialized area of genetics. City
of Hope is a leading cancer treatment and research center in
southern California. This bill addresses concerns of
AB 549
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professionals in this area about oversight of this specific
and rapidly advancing area of science and medicine. Concerns
related to being folded into more general, less specialized
licensure categories.
2)Background . DPH oversees more than 10,000 licensed and
registered clinical laboratories statewide, including those at
physician offices, clinics, hospitals, and public health
agencies. These labs analyze medical specimens, such as blood,
tissue, and urine so that providers can make diagnoses and
provide treatment.
3) Related Legislation . SB 744 (Strickland), Chapter 201, was
sponsored by DPH to increase oversight of clinical
laboratories, move labs to a sliding fee scale, and to set
standards for the approval of accrediting organizations and
their lab inspectors.
Analysis Prepared by : Mary Ader / APPR. / (916) 319-2081