BILL ANALYSIS
AB 549
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 549 (Furutani)
As Amended January 25, 2010
Majority vote
BUSINESS & PROFESSIONS 11-0 APPROPRIATIONS 15-1
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|Ayes:|Hayashi, Emmerson, |Ayes:|De Leon, Conway, Ammiano, |
| |Conway, Eng, Hernandez, | |Bradford, Charles |
| |Hill, Nava, Niello, | |Calderon, Coto, Davis, |
| |John A. Perez, Ruskin, | |Fuentes, Hall, Nielsen, |
| |Smyth | |John A. Perez, Skinner, |
| | | |Solorio, Audra |
| | | |Strickland, Torlakson |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | |Nays:|Harkey |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Permits the State Department of Health Services
(department) to issue a clinical biochemical geneticist license.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Adds "clinical biochemical geneticist" to the list of clinical
licenses available from the department, provided the applicant
has met specified requirements.
2)References current regulations relating to graduate education
requirements.
3)States that a formal letter or other written documentation
from an accredited training program indicating an applicant's
completion of the program, and from a clinical laboratory
confirming the applicant's employment experience as required
by regulation, is sufficient evidence that the applicant has
met the specified requirements.
4)Requires each applicant to provide evidence of satisfactory
performance on an examination in the applicant's specialty or
subspecialty administered by an appropriate accrediting body
recognized by the State Department of Public Health. States
that formal letters or other documentation, as specified, must
AB 549
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be provided directly by the examining agency or accrediting
body to the department.
5)Replaces the term "national" accrediting body with
"appropriate" accrediting body to widen the pool of entities
that may conduct examinations.
6)States that a person licensed as a clinical biochemical
geneticist and clinical biochemical genetic laboratories may
be directed by an individual licensed in the subspecialty of
biochemical genetics within the specialty of genetics, or
other specialty or subspecialty specified by departmental
regulations.
7)Makes technical amendments related to fees.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Provides for the regulation and licensure of clinical
laboratories and clinical laboratory personnel by the State
Department of Public Health (DPH).
2)Requires an applicant to meet various requirements in order to
be eligible to take the examination for a special clinical
laboratory scientist's license.
3)Requires DPH to issue a license for a clinical chemist,
clinical microbiologist, clinical toxicologist, clinical
molecular biologist, clinical biochemical geneticist, or
clinical cytogeneticist to each applicant who also holds of a
master of science or doctoral degree in the specialty for
which the applicant is seeking licensure and has met other
requirements.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee:
1)Absorbable one-time fee-supported special fund costs to amend
current law regulations to accommodate 30 professionals
statewide who may become licensed in this highly specialized
field.
2)Unknown, likely absorbable one-time fee-supported special fund
costs for DPH to establish confirmation of employment
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experience by national accrediting bodies.
COMMENTS : According to the author's office, "This bill adds
biochemical geneticists to existing licensing laws in a manner
commensurate with other specialists in genetics so that
certified biochemical geneticists can make a contribution to the
clinical setting in California as they do in other states.
"In addition, AB 549 would deem approved by the state any
post-doctoral training programs approved by the major national
accrediting boards. This provision is included because of
delays in Laboratory Field Services (LFS) acting on requests for
approval. Training programs often wait six months to a year to
obtain approval and at times graduates aren't able to obtain
licensure because they are told their training program was not
approved."
Clinical Biochemical Genetics is recognized as a laboratory
discipline concerned with the evaluation and diagnosis of
patients and families with inherited metabolic disease,
monitoring of treatment, and distinguishing heterozygous
carriers from noncarriers by metabolite and enzymatic analysis
of physiological fluids and tissues.
Analysis Prepared by : Sarah Huchel / B. & P. / (916) 319-3301
FN: 0003614