BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 867|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 867
Author: Nava (D) and Arambula (I), et al
Amended: 8/20/10 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 8-0, 7/15/09
AYES: Romero, Huff, Alquist, Hancock, Liu, Padilla,
Simitian, Wyland
NO VOTE RECORDED: Maldonado
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 11-0, 8/12/10
AYES: Kehoe, Ashburn, Alquist, Corbett, Emmerson, Leno,
Price, Walters, Wolk, Wyland, Yee
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 71-7, 6/3/09 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : California State University: Doctor of Nursing
Practice
degree: pilot program
SOURCE : California State University
DIGEST : This bill, until July 1, 2018, authorizes the
California State University (CSU) to establish a Doctor of
Nursing Practice (DNP) degree pilot program at three
campuses chosen by the Board of Trustees to award the DNP
degree. This bill distinguishes the DNP degree from the
doctor of philosophy degree offered at the University of
California. This bill requires the DNP degree pilot
program to be designed to enable professionals to earn the
CONTINUED
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degree while working full time, train nurses for advanced
practice, and prepare clinical faculty to teach in
postsecondary nursing programs. This bill requires CSU to
enroll and maintain no more than 90 full-time equivalent
students in the degree pilot program at all three campuses
combined. This bill requires initial funding to come from
existing budgets, without diminishing the quality of
undergraduate programs or reducing enrollment therein.
This bill requires CSU, the Legislative Analyst's Office,
and the Department of Finance to jointly conduct a
statewide evaluation of the degree pilot program and report
the results to the Legislature and the Governor on or
before January 1, 2017.
Senate Floor Amendments of 8/20/10 delete non-nursing
related language and insert clarifying language to ensure
that the required evaluation reviews elements of CSU
nursing program.
ANALYSIS : Current law provides that the primary mission
of CSU is undergraduate and graduate instruction through
the master's degree. It specifies that CSU (1) shall offer
undergraduate and graduate instruction through the master's
degree, and (2) may offer doctoral degrees jointly with the
University of California (UC) or other independent
institutions of higher education provided they are approved
by the California Postsecondary Education Commission.
Current law also authorizes CSU to independently award the
Doctor of Education (Ed.D) degree focused solely on
preparing administrative leaders for California public K-14
schools.
In setting forth the missions and functions of California
public and independent institutions of higher education,
current law provides, among other things, that UC "has the
sole authority in public higher education to award the
doctoral degree in all fields of learning, except that it
may agree with the CSU to award joint doctoral degrees in
selected fields."
This bill, until July 1, 2018, authorizes CSU to establish
a DNP degree pilot program at three campuses chosen by the
Board of Trustees to award the DNP degree. This bill
distinguishes the DNP degree from the doctor of philosophy
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degree offered at the University of California. This bill
requires the DNP degree pilot program to be designed to
enable professionals to earn the degree while working full
time, train nurses for advanced practice, and prepare
clinical faculty to teach in postsecondary nursing
programs. This bill requires CSU to enroll and maintain no
more than 90 full-time equivalent students in the degree
pilot program at all three campuses combined. This bill
requires initial funding to come from existing budgets,
without diminishing the quality of undergraduate programs
or reducing enrollment therein. This bill requires CSU,
the Legislative Analyst's Office, and the Department of
Finance to jointly conduct a statewide evaluation of the
degree pilot program and report the results to the
Legislature and the Governor on or before January 1, 2017.
Comments
This bill resulted from a study by the CSU Nursing
Doctorate Advisory Committee, comprised of CSU
representatives and a research consultant, to determine how
best to address California's nursing faculty shortage. CSU
asserts this bill is necessary for training future CSU and
California Community College nursing faculty. CSU's 18
pre-licensure nursing programs are full and unable to
expand, in part because there are not enough faculty
available to meet the low student-to-faculty ratios
required by accreditors and licensing boards for these
programs. In addition, CSU points out the new program will
allow it to train more advance practice nurses, which may
be the educational level necessary for certification in the
future.
According to a June 2008 study by the California Institute
for Nursing & Health Care, more baccalaureate- and
graduate-prepared nurses will be needed as California
strives to fill a forecasted shortage of 116,000 nurses by
2020. Currently, 70 percent of graduating nurses have
two-year Associate of Arts degrees, and only 26 percent of
these go on to secure a Bachelor of Science in Nursing or
graduate-level degree.
Prior legislation . On April 17, 2008, the Senate Education
Committee passed (9-0) SB 1288 (Scott), 2007-08 Session,
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which would have authorized CSU to offer DNP degree
programs. The bill was held in the Senate Appropriations
Committee.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
It is the intent of the legislature that CSU seek private
donations or other nonstate funds to fund startup costs for
the degree pilot program.
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/20/10)
California State University (source)
American Nurses Association/California
American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees
Asian Americans for Community Involvement
California Hospital Association
California State Student Association
Coast Community College District
Greater Fresno Area Chamber of Commerce
Joint Venture Silicon Valley
Oxnard Chamber of Commerce
San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce
Silicon Valley Leadership Group
Thousand Oaks-Westlake Village Regional Chamber of Commerce
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Arambula, Beall, Bill Berryhill, Tom
Berryhill, Blumenfield, Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero,
Charles Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto,
Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, DeVore, Emmerson, Eng,
Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani,
Gaines, Galgiani, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi,
Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight,
Krekorian, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza,
Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello, John A. Perez, V. Manuel
Perez, Price, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Silva, Skinner,
Smyth, Solorio, Audra Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson,
Torres, Torrico, Tran, Villines, Bass
NOES: Anderson, Blakeslee, Duvall, Garrick, Miller,
Nielsen, Portantino
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NO VOTE RECORDED: Block, Yamada
PQ:mw 8/23/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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