BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
2191 (Emmerson)
Hearing Date: 8/2/2010 Amended: 6/21/2010
Consultant: Bob Franzoia Policy Vote: B,P&ED 7-0
_________________________________________________________________
____
BILL SUMMARY: AB 2191 would require the Board of Behavioral
Sciences (board) to issue a retired license to a marriage and
family therapist (MFT), clinical social worker (CSW),
educational psychologist (EP), or professional clinical
counselor who holds a license that is current and active or
capable of being renewed. The bill would provide that a holder
of a retired license may apply to have his or her license
restored to active status if the holder has not committed an act
or crime constituting grounds for denial of licensure, pays the
required fees, completes continuing education requirements, and
complies with fingerprint requirements. If the applicant's
retired license was issued five or more years prior to the
application to restore to active status, the applicant would be
required to pass the examinations required for licensure. The
bill would set the retired license fee at $40.00.
_________________________________________________________________
____
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Fund
New license category $51 $51 $121
ongoingSpecial* - loss of revenue
-
* Behavioral Science Examiners Fund
_________________________________________________________________
____
STAFF COMMENTS:
The affected licensees do not have the option to obtain a
retired license. Instead, a licensee must obtain an inactive
license that must be renewed every two years. If the license is
not renewed, then it becomes delinquent and after three years is
cancelled. The board currently charges an inactive fee of $40
to $75 biennially, depending on license type.
Renewing under inactive status requires licensees to pay the
renewal fee every two years when the person may have no
intention of practicing again. If the licensee chooses not to
pay the fees and allow his or her license to expire, he or she
is considered delinquent until the license is cancelled after
three years. Delinquency implies that the licensee is
non-compliant with board requirements, such as past due fees and
not fulfilling continuing education requirements, when the
license is simply retired. The current license count, less
professional clinical counselors, is as follows:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|License Type |Inactive |Delinquent |Percent |
| | | |Delinquent |
|----------------+----------------+----------------+----------------|
|MFT |6,239 |1,497 |23.99 percent |
|----------------+----------------+----------------+----------------|
|CSW |3,458 |871 |25.19 percent |
|----------------+----------------+----------------+----------------|
|EP |348 |2,465 |24.54 percent |
|----------------+----------------+----------------+----------------|
|Total |10,045 |2,465 |24.54 |
| | | |percent |
| | | | |
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Page 2
AB 2191 (Emmerson)
Retired licenses are available for pharmacists, architects,
professional engineers and land surveyors. Physicians and
surgeons, osteopathic physicians and surgeons and dentists may
be issued retired licenses.
The board estimates that 35 percent of inactive licensees would
apply for a retired license. The estimated license numbers for
retired licensees would be as follows:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|License Type |Retired 35 percent of Inactive |
|--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
|MFT |2,184 |
|--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
|CSW |1,210 |
|--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
|EP |122 |
|--------------------------------+--------------------------------|
|Total |3,516 |
| | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The impact on licensee fee revenue to the Behavioral Science
Examiners Fund would be a loss of $51,000 in 2010-11 and 2011-12
and $121,000 annually, thereafter. This fund's balance is
projected at $1.12 million in 2011-12 and negative in 2012-13.
A 2008-09 $3 million loan to the General Fund remains
outstanding.