BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                           
           AB 549
                                                                  Page  1

          CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
          AB 549 (Furutani)
          As Amended  August 20, 2010
          Majority vote
           
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |ASSEMBLY:  |68-4 |(January 27,    |SENATE: |33-1 |(August 25,    |
          |           |     |2010)           |        |     |2010)          |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
            
           Original Committee Reference:    B.,P. & C.P.  

           SUMMARY  :  Specifies procedures and qualifications for certain  
          clinical licenses issued by the State Department of Health  
          Services (DHS).    

           The Senate amendments  :
          
          1)Require DHS, within 30 days of determining that an application  
            is complete, issue a temporary license to any applicant  
            seeking licensure pursuant to this bill, when the applicant  
            meets the following requirements:

             a)   The applicant has earned a doctoral degree in a  
               biological science and has completed, subsequent to  
               graduation, four years of training and experience in  
               immunology, of which two years shall have been in  
               histocompatibility testing in a laboratory in any state of  
               the United States or in Canada; and,

             b)   The applicant provides evidence of satisfactory  
               performance on a written examination in histocompatibility  
               administered by the American Board of Histocompatibility  
               and Immunogenetics;

          2)Authorize an applicant issued a temporary license to work  
            under the supervision of a licensed individual, as specified.

          3)Delete the requirement that DHS adopt emergency regulations  
            creating a trainee license and as a laboratory director for  
            certain specialties and subspecialties. 

          4)Specify that a temporary license shall remain valid until the  
            applicant has taken the oral examination offered by DHS, DHS  








                                                                           
           AB 549
                                                                  Page  2

            completes evaluating and processing of the applicant's results  
            and licensure, and DHS has issued a permanent license. 

          5)Specifies that, in order to receive a temporary license, the  
            applicant must have earned a doctoral degree in a biological  
            science and has completed, subsequent to graduation, four  
            years of training and experience in the area of specialty or  
            subspecialty for which he or she is seeking licensure in any  
            state of the United States or in Canada, and the applicant's  
            license remains in good standing.

          6)Delete certain references to DHS license, eligibility, and  
            application timelines.

          7)Delete specific fees for licenses.
          
          8)Make clarifying and technical amendments.

           AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill permitted DHS to issue a  
          clinical biochemical geneticist license.  

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  According to the Senate Appropriations  
          Committee: 

                            Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

           Major Provisions         2010-11      2011-12       2012-13     Fund
                                                                  
          CDPH regulations                $110              $220  
          $155Special*
          and licensing activities

          *Clinical Laboratory Improvement Fund

          (This analysis is based on the August 2 version; a subsequent  
          conversation with the analyst suggested that costs for the  
          August 20 version would be less.) 

           COMMENTS  :  DHS recently released regulations that obviate the  
          need for many of the prior provisions of this bill.  This bill,  
          as amended, is substantially similar to the version approved by  
          the Assembly. 
           









                                                                           
          AB 549
                                                                  Page  3

          Analysis Prepared by  :    Sarah Weaver / B.,P. & C.P. / (916)  
          319-3301 
           

          FN:  
          0006687