BILL ANALYSIS �
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair
SB 1237 (Price) - Professions: pharmacists, court reporters, and
Transcript Reimbursement Fund: sunset dates.
Amended: April 30, 2012 Policy Vote: BP&ED 7-0
Urgency: No Mandate: No
Hearing Date: May 14, 2012 Consultant: Jennifer Douglas
This bill does not meet the criteria for referral to the
Suspense File.
Bill Summary: SB 1237 would extend the sunset of the State Board
of Pharmacy until January 1, 2017 and would also extend the
sunset of the Court Reporters Board until January 1, 2017 and
specify that the boards are subject to review by the appropriate
policy committees of the Legislature. This bill would also
extend the sunset of the Court Reporters Board Transcript
Reimbursement Fund until January 1, 2017. By extending the
operation of the Transcript Reimbursement Fund, which is a
continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an
appropriation.
Fiscal Impact:
Estimated annual cost of $1.23 million from the Pharmacy
Board Contingent Fund (1110-0767) based on the 2010-11
Budget Act, all costs offset by existing fees.
Estimated annual cost of $747,000 from the Court Reporters
Fund (1110-0771) based on the 2010-11 Budget Act, all costs
offset by existing fees.
Estimated annual cost of $176,000 from the Transcript
Reimbursement Fund (1110-0410) based on the 2010-11 Budget
Act, all costs offset by existing fees.
Background: Existing law, the Pharmacy Law, provides for the
licensure and regulation of pharmacies, pharmacists, pharmacy
technicians, wholesalers of dangerous drugs or devices, and
others by the State Board of Pharmacy. Existing law also
authorizes the board to appoint an executive officer. Under
existing law the State Board of Pharmacy and its authority to
appoint an executive officer will be repealed on January 1, 2013
and the board is required to be reviewed by the Joint Sunset
Review Committee.
SB 1237 (Price)
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Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of court
reporters by the Court Reporters Board within the Department of
Consumer Affairs and authorizes the board to appoint an
executive officer and committees as necessary.
Existing law requires certain fees and revenues collected by the
Court Reporters Board to be deposited into the Transcript
Reimbursement Fund to be available to provide reimbursement for
the cost of providing shorthand reporting services to low-income
litigants in civil cases. Existing law also authorizes
low-income persons who represent themselves to apply for funds
from the Transcript Reimbursement Fund.
The Court Reporters Board of California and its authority to
appoint an executive officer and necessary committees will be
repealed on January 1, 2013. Existing law also requires the
unencumbered funds remaining in the Transcript Reimbursement
Fund as of January 1, 2013 to be transferred to the Court
Reporters' Fund.
Related Legislation: Other sunset review bills include:
SB 1236 (Price) relating to the Board of Podiatric Medicine
and the Board of Physician Assistants.
SB 1238 (Price) relating to the Board of Psychology and the
Board of Behavioral Sciences.
SB 1239 (Price) relating to the Board of Acupuncture.
These bills have been placed on the Appropriations suspense
file.
Staff Comments: This bill is one of four sunset bills authored
by Senator Price as the Chair of the Senate Business,
Professions and Economic Development Committee. In March 2012
the Committee conducted oversight hearings to review seven
regulatory boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs,
including the Board of Pharmacy and the Court Reporters Board.
This bill, and the accompanying sunset bills, is intended to
implement legislative changes as recommended in the Committee's
Background/Issue Papers for all of the agencies reviewed by the
Committee. This bill is necessary to extend the sunset date of
the Board of Pharmacy and the Court Reporters Board in order to
continue the regulation of pharmacists and court reporters in
California.
SB 1237 (Price)
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