BILL NUMBER: AB 1295 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 23, 2009
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 16, 2009
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 13, 2009
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Fuller
FEBRUARY 27, 2009
An act to add Section 89267.5 to the Education Code, relating to
nursing degree programs.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1295, as amended, Fuller. Postsecondary education: nursing
degree programs.
Existing law establishes the University of California, the
California State University (CSU), and the California Community
Colleges as the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in this
state. Under existing law, the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges is required to encourage community college districts to,
and the Chancellor of the California State University is required to,
standardize all nursing education program prerequisites on a
statewide basis and negotiate and implement articulation agreements
among the campuses and districts of these 2 segments.
Existing law expresses the intent of the Legislature to encourage
CSU to establish partnerships or collaborations with community
colleges to facilitate the education of students in bachelor of
science in nursing (BSN) or entry-level master's nursing programs.
This bill would require the Chancellor of the California State
University and the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges to appoint representatives to work collaboratively to
coordinate and to implement articulated nursing
degree transfer pathways , between the
California Community Colleges and CSU prior to the commencement
of the 2012-13 academic year. The bill would require the articulated
nursing degree transfer pathways to meet prescribed requirements.
The
The bill would authorize the Chancellor of the California
State University and the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges to appoint representatives from their respective
institutions to work collaboratively to provide advice and assistance
relating to prescribed topics concerning the articulated nursing
pathways.
The bill would require the Legislative Analyst's
Office, by March 15, 2011, to prepare and submit to the Legislature
and Governor a report on the status of plans to implement the
articulated nursing degree transfer pathways.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) Access to a quality nursing education through California's
public postsecondary institutions is provided through 74 California
Community Colleges and 22 California State University (CSU) campuses.
(b) The California Board of Registered Nursing is responsible for
approving the comprehensive and quality nursing curriculum provided
through the California Community Colleges and CSU and for licensing
registered nurses who pass a standardized licensing exam.
(c) In order for California to meet the demand for an increasingly
skilled and educated nursing workforce and to address the critical
shortage of nurses throughout the state, it is an economic benefit to
the state and students to streamline the community college and the
CSU transfer pathway for nursing.
(d) It is estimated that only 20 percent of community college
associate degree nurses continue on to obtain a bachelor's degree.
(e) The lack of a common nursing transfer pathway may result in
students being required to take duplicative and unnecessary
coursework that prolongs the time require
required to obtain a degree and increases the cost of education
to both the student and state. These unnecessary barriers act as a
disincentive for students who wish to continue their postsecondary
education to earn the bachelor of science in nursing.
(f) California's workforce needs increasingly educated nurses to
fill public health nursing positions, to proceed toward completion of
a master's degree in nursing, and to fill nursing faculty positions
at both the California Community College and CSU level.
(g) A streamlined nursing degree transfer pathway between
California Community Colleges and CSU will result in a cost savings
to both the student and California, make it less burdensome for
community college nursing students to further their education, and
reduce the time to degree.
SEC. 2. Section 89267.5 is added to the Education Code, to read:
89267.5. (a) As used in this section, "ADN-to-BSN student" means
a person who meets all of the following qualifications:
(1) The person has earned an associate degree in nursing from a
California Community College from a program approved by the Board of
Registered Nursing.
(2) The person is licensed to work in California as a registered
nurse.
(3) The person is applying to the California State University to
earn a bachelor of science in nursing.
(b) Prior to the commencement of the 2012-13 academic year, the
Chancellor of the California State University and the
Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall appoint
representatives from their respective institutions to work
collaboratively to coordinate and shall
implement articulated nursing degree transfer pathways between the
California Community Colleges and the California State University.
The articulated nursing degree transfer pathways shall , at a
minimum, comply with both of the following requirements:
(1) A campus of the California State University shall not require
an ADN-to-BSN student to complete any duplicative courses for which
the content is already required by the Board of Registered Nursing
for licensure or that the student has already satisfied by earning
the associate degree in nursing and becoming licensed as a registered
nurse.
(2) A campus of the California State University shall not require
an ADN-to-BSN student, who has taken a prerequisite course at a
California Community College community
college to earn the associate degree in nursing, to take the
same prerequisite course or same content from that prerequisite
course at the university for the bachelor of science in nursing
degree.
(c) The Chancellor of the California State University and the
Chancellor of the California Community Colleges may appoint
representatives from their respective institutions to work
collaboratively to provide advice and assistance on either or both of
the following:
(1) Implementation of the articulated nursing pathways.
(2) Identification of additional components to be included that
are consistent with providing ADN-to-BSN students with a streamlined
nursing degree transfer pathway consistent with the finding in
subdivision (g) of Section 1 of the act that adds this section.
(c)
(d) By March 15, 2011, the Legislative Analyst's Office
shall prepare and submit to the Legislature and the
Governor a report on the status of plans to implement articulated
nursing degree transfer pathways between the California Community
Colleges and the California State University. This report may be part
of its annual budget report to the Legislature.