BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1295|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1295
Author: Fuller (R)
Amended: 7/23/09 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 : 13-0, 8/27/09
AYES: Kehoe, Cox, Corbett, Denham, Hancock, Leno, Oropeza,
Price, Runner, Walters, Wolk, Wyland, Yee
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 73-0, 5/14/09 (Consent) - See last page
for vote
SUBJECT : Higher education: nursing degree programs
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : this bill requires the Chancellor of the
California State University to implement articulated
nursing degree transfer pathways between the California
Community Colleges and the California State University
prior to the commencement of the 2012-13 academic year.
The bill requires the Legislative Analyst's Office to
report on the status of the plans to implement articulated
pathways by March of 2011.
CONTINUED
AB 1295
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ANALYSIS : Existing law prohibits a campus of California
State University (CSU) or California Community Colleges
(CCC) that operates a Registered Nursing program from
requiring a student who has been admitted to that nursing
program and who has already earned a baccalaureate or
higher degree from a regionally accredited institution of
higher education to take any coursework other than that
which is unique and exclusively required to earn a nursing
degree from that institution.
This bill:
1.Defines an Associated Degree in Nursing (ADN) to a
Bachelor in Science in Nursing (BSN) student as a person
who has earned an ADN from a CCC in a program approved by
the BRN, is licensed to work in California as a
registered nurse, and is applying to CSU to earn a BSN
degree.
2.Requires the Chancellor's Offices of CSU, to appoint
representatives to coordinate and to implement
articulated nursing degree transfer pathways prior to the
commencement of the 2012-13 academic year and to ensure
CSU does not require an ADN to BSN student to:
A. Undertake coursework that was required by the BRN
for licensure when the student has already satisfied
those requirements by earning the ADN and becoming
licensed as a registered nurse (RN).
B. Take a nursing prerequisite course if the student
has already taken the same course or course content
at a CCC.
3.Authorizes the Chancellor of the California State
University and the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges to appoint representative from their respective
institutions to work collaboratively to provide advice
and assistance relating to prescribed topics concerning
the articulated nursing pathways.
4.Requires the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) to report
to the Legislature and the governor on the status of
implementation plans by March 15, 2011.
AB 1295
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FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
Minor absorbable costs for CCC and CSU representatives to
develop and implement the transfer pathways and for the LAO
report. Potential savings to the segments and students by
eliminating duplicative course requirements for and to BSN
students.
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/28/09)
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal
Employees
American Nurses Association/California
Board of Registered Nursing
California Hospital Association
Community College
League of Cities
Right of Consumer Affairs
United Nurses Association of California/Union of Health
Care Professionals
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office,
there are significant benefits to the state for increasing
the number of BSN graduates, including responding to
industry demand, increasing the number of RNs with broader
skills, and increasing the number of students who will
ultimately complete their masters degrees in nursing and
fill nursing faculty positions. It is estimated that
currently only 20 percent of CCC ADN students continue on
to obtain a BSN. The author's office notes that at CSU
there is little standardization for recognizing ADN
curriculum content and crediting a RN with an ADN for that
knowledge. The lack of a common transfer pathway results
in students having to take duplicative and/or unnecessary
coursework that prolongs their time to degree and increases
degree costs to both the student and the state. The
author's office asserts that, by streamlining the transfer
process for ADN to BSN students, this bill reduces the time
to degree for these student by as much as a year, thereby
reducing state and student education costs and ensuring
more focused and appropriate coursework for BSN students.
AB 1295
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ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill Berryhill,
Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield, Brownley,
Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter, Chesbro,
Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, DeVore,
Duvall, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong,
Fuller, Furutani, Galgiani, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall,
Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman,
Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Krekorian, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie
Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande,
Niello, Nielsen, John A. Perez, V. Manuel Perez,
Portantino, Price, Ruskin, Salas, Silva, Skinner,
Solorio, Audra Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres,
Torrico, Tran, Villines, Yamada
NO VOTE RECORDED: Ammiano, Fuentes, Gaines, Garrick,
Saldana, Smyth, Bass
DLW:do 8/31/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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