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2007 Legislative Updates
During the 2007 Legislative Session, many bills of general interest to the Board or those having potential impact on the administration of the Board were followed. Although these bills address many subjects, each affects registered nursing in some way. There were twenty-two (22) bills followed by the Board, six (6) were signed into law by the Governor, three (3) were vetoed, two (2) failed in committees or were no longer applicable to the Board and eleven (11) are two-year bills. The following is a brief description of the chaptered bills followed by the Board. Unless otherwise stated, the statutes of 2007 became effective January 1, 2008.
For additional information, please refer to www.leginfo.ca.gov.
Assembly Bills
- AB 139 (Bass) - Vehicles: Schoolbus drivers: Medical examinations
- AB 342 (Saldana) - Pupil health: Individuals with exceptional needs
- AB 1559 (Berryhill) - Public Postsecondary Education: Degree Nursing Programs
Senate Bills
- SB 102 (Migden) - Blood Transfusions
- SB 139 (Scott) - Nursing Education
- SB 1048 (Committee on Business, Professions & Economic Development) - Healing Arts
AB 139 (Bass) - Vehicles: Schoolbus drivers: Medical examinations (Link to AB 139)
AB 139 authorizes a licensed advance practice registered nurse or a licensed physician assistant to perform a medical examination on applicants seeking an original or renewal certificate to drive a schoolbus, school activity bus, youth bus, general public paratransit, or farm labor vehicle. It requires the medical report to be submitted to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
(Chaptered 158)
AB 342 (Saldana) - Pupil health: Individuals with exceptional needs (Link to AB 342)
AB 342 authorizes a person holding a certificate of public health in nursing to assist individuals with exceptional needs who require specialized physical healthcare services, during the regular schoolday.
(Chaptered 12)
AB 1559 (Berryhill) - Public Postsecondary Education: Degree Nursing Programs (Link to AB 1559)
AB 1159 provides for a community college registered nursing program that determines the number of applicants to the program exceeds its capacity, to admit students as follows using a:
1. Multicriteria screening process.
2. Random selection process.
3. Blended combination of random selection and a multicriteria screening process.
If a community college elects to use a multicriteria screening process to evaluate applicants for admission, it must include criteria relative to the academic performance, work or volunteer experience, foreign language skills, life experiences, and special circumstances of the applicant.
(Chaptered 712)
SB 102 (Migden) - Blood Transfusions (Link to SB 102)
SB 102 requires a physician to inform a patient, by means of a standardized written summary, either directly or through a nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, or a physician, of the positive and negative aspects of receiving autologous blood and directed and nondirected homologous blood from volunteers.
(Chaptered 88)
SB 139 (Scott) - Nursing Education (Link to SB 139)
SB 139 prohibits a California State University or California Community College that has a registered nursing program from requiring a student who has been admitted to the nursing program, and who has already earned a baccalaureate or higher degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education, to complete general education requirements. These nursing students would only be required to complete the course work necessary to prepare him or her for licensing as a registered nurse.
(Chaptered 139)
SB 1048 (Committee on Business, Professions & Economic Development) - Healing Arts (Link to SB 1048)
SB 1048 requires, among other things, that every employer of, or agent for, a registered nurse required to hold a license in obtaining employment, is required to ascertain that the nurse is currently authorized to practice as a registered nurse, or as a temporary licensee or interim permitee. If a board-issued certification is required for employment, the employer is required to ascertain that the person has a board-issued certification and authorized to practice as a:
- nurse practitioner
- nurse practitioner with a furnishing number
- nurse anesthetist
- nurse midwife
- nurse midwife with a furnishing number
- public health nurse
- clinical nurse specialist
- board listed psychiatric mental health nurse.
