BILL NUMBER: AB 675	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 5, 2011

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Hagman
    (   Coauthors:   Assembly Members 
 Garrick,   Gorell,   Jeffries,   and
Silva   ) 
   (  Coauthor:   Senator  
Huff   Coauthors:   Senators   Harman
  and Huff  )

                        FEBRUARY 17, 2011

   An act to add Section 110.6 to the Business and Professions Code,
relating to professions and vocations.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 675, as amended, Hagman. Continuing education.
   Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of
professions and vocations by boards within the Department of Consumer
Affairs and these boards may require licensees to satisfy continuing
education course requirements.
   This bill would provide, if applicable, that continuing education
 or competency  courses, as specified, that advance or
promote labor organizing on behalf of a union, or that advance or
promote statutory or regulatory changes, political candidates,
political advocacy, or political strategy shall not be considered
content relevant to the practice regulated by the board and shall not
be acceptable for meeting requirements for licensure renewal. The
bill would also prohibit, to the extent applicable, an approved
provider from representing that such a continuing education  or
competency  course is acceptable for meeting requirements for
licensure renewal and would require a board, subject to specified
procedural requirements, to withdraw its approval of a provider that
violates that requirement for no less than 5 years, as specified.
   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.  Section 110.6 is added to the Business and Professions
Code, to read:
   110.6.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if a board
described in Section 101 requires its licensees to satisfy continuing
education  or competency  requirements by pursuing a course
of continuing education  or competency  , the following
shall apply:
   (a) Continuing education  or competency  courses shall
contain only content relevant to the particular practice regulated by
the board pursuant to its laws and regulations. Continuing education
 or competency  courses that advance or promote labor
organizing on behalf of a union, or that advance or promote statutory
or regulatory changes, political candidates, political advocacy, or
political strategy shall not be considered content relevant to the
practice regulated by the board and shall not be acceptable for
meeting continuing education  or competency  requirements.
For the purposes of this section, "courses" includes institutes,
seminars, lectures, conferences, workshops, and any other public
events.
   (b) (1) To the extent applicable, if an approved provider offers a
course described in subdivision (a), the provider shall not
represent that the course is acceptable for meeting the continuing
education  or competency  requirements. If a provider
violates this requirement, the board shall withdraw its approval of
the provider, subject to paragraph (2).
   (2) If, after the board provides the provider notice and an
opportunity to be heard, the board finds that the provider violated
the requirement in paragraph (1), the board shall withdraw approval
of the provider for no less than five years.