BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 1588
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   March 28, 2012

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                    AB 1588 (Atkins) - As Amended:  March 5, 2012 

          Policy Committee:                              Business and 
          Professions  Vote:                            8 - 0 

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires all licensing boards, commissions, and 
          bureaus to waive renewal fees and continuing education 
          requirements for United States Military Reservists or California 
          National Guard (CNG) members who are called to active duty. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Unknown, potentially significant revenue loss, in excess of 
          150,000 per year, in licensing revenue (various special funds).  
          The majority of programs under the Department of Consumer 
          Affairs do not track whether a licensee is a reservist member. 
          Of those that do, approximately one-third to one-half of one 
          percent of licensees fall under that category.  Assuming that 
          percentage across all the various licensing categories and in 
          the unlikely event that half of those reservists were called to 
          active duty at the same time, it would result in an annual 
          revenue loss of up to $500,000.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  . This bill allows members of the military reserve or 
            National Guard to maintain any professional licenses they may 
            have that are set to expire while that person is on active 
            duty. As such, all fees and all continuing education 
            requirements necessary to maintain that license would be 
            waived.  The author argues that military professionals should 
            not be expected to pay to renew or fulfill continuing 
            education requirements for a professional license they cannot 
            use during their service period.  In addition, they should not 
            be penalized for their military service by allowing their 








                                                                  AB 1588
                                                                  Page  2

            professional license to fall into delinquency during their 
            service period.

           2)Current Law  . Existing law authorizes members of the CNG or the 
            U.S. Armed Forces to reinstate his or her professional license 
            or registration without examination or penalty if their 
            license expired while the licensee or registrant was on active 
            duty.  Any licensee or registrant who continues to practice 
            the profession for which he or she is licensed or registered 
            for, either part-time or full-time, must maintain an active 
            license in good standing, even while serving in the military.  


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916) 
          319-2081