BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 1524
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   January 21, 2010

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Kevin De Leon, Chair

                  AB 1524 (Hayashi) - As Amended:  January 4, 2010 

          Policy Committee:                              Business &  
          Professions  Vote:                            11-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill establishes a new pathway to initial licensure for  
          applicants wishing to practice under the jurisdiction of the  
          Dental Board of California (Board). The portfolio pathway  
          examination established by this bill allows the Board to work  
          with five approved California Dental Schools on exam creation  
          and administration. Specifically, this bill:

          1)Deletes the current law clinical examination administered by  
            the Board. 

          2)Replaces the current law examination process with a portfolio  
            pathway examination that relies on a broader base of content  
            and expertise.  

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          1)No direct state fiscal impact. By eliminating one exam-related  
            workload and replacing it with a new framework of similar  
            magnitude, the costs of this bill are absorbable for the  
            Board. There are indications this bill may lead to a reduction  
            in workload after initial implementation. 

          2)The Board is supported by special fund licensing revenues  
            charged for initial and renewal licenses. Under current law,  
            approximately 1,200 dentists become newly licensed and more  
            than 40,000 are granted renewal licenses in California  
            annually. This bill requires applicants for initial licensure  
            to pay a one-time $350 fee. 

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  . This bill is sponsored by the Dental Board of  
            California to modify licensure exams to move away from a high  





                                                                  AB 1524
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            pressure, high stakes snap shot evaluation toward a  
            longitudinal evaluation across a broad landscape that ensures  
            licensees provide quality patient care. 

           2)Background  . Under current law, the clinical examination is  
            administered over three days and requires the participation of  
            a volunteer patient provided by the student. According to the  
            Board, identifying volunteer patients has been challenging for  
            dental students because of logistical and ethical issues.  In  
            addition, concerns have been raised about the reliability of  
            judgments made about licensee performance in such a brief  
            review. The portfolio pathway approach proposed in this bill  
            relies on a broader, sequential evaluation in areas such as  
            oral diagnosis, restorative care, removable prosthetics, and  
            endontics (treatment pertaining to the root of the teeth). 
           Analysis Prepared by  :    Mary Ader / APPR. / (916) 319-2081