BILL NUMBER: AB 1295AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 13, 2009 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Fuller FEBRUARY 27, 2009 An act to add Section 89267.5 to the Education Code, relating to nursing degree programs. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1295, as amended, Fuller. Postsecondary education: nursing degree programs. Existing law establishes the University of California, the California State University (CSU) , and the California Community Colleges as the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Under existing law, the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges is required to encourage community college districts to, and the Chancellor of the California State University is required to, standardize all nursing education program prerequisites on a statewide basis and negotiate and implement articulation agreements among the campuses and districts of these 2 segments.Existing law, the Entry-Level Master's Nursing Programs Act, among other things, requires the Chancellor of the California State University to determine which campuses are eligible for supplemental funds for establishing entry-level master's programs in nursing.Existing law expresses the intent of the Legislature that, with respect to nursing programs at the University of California, the Regents of the University of California should expand nursing programs to enroll additional students, as specified.This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to create a model program that facilitates and expedites, for licensed registered nurses who have completed associate degrees in nursing, the completion of coursework necessary to earn a bachelor of science in nursing degree or a master of science in nursing degree and to create programs that facilitate the completion of master of science in nursing degrees by students with baccalaureate degrees who are enrolled in associate degree nursing programs.Existing law expresses the intent of the Legislature to encourage CSU to establish partnerships or collaborations with community colleges to facilitate the education of students in bachelor of the science of nursing (BSN) or entry-level master's nursing programs. This bill would prohibit CSU from requiring an ADN-to-BSN student, as defined, enrolled in CSU to earn a BSN degree, to complete certain coursework. The bill would require the Office of the Chancellor of the California State University and the Chancellor's office of the California Community Colleges to work collaboratively to coordinate and implement an articulated nursing degree transfer pathway. The bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office, by March 15, 2011, to prepare and submit to the Legislature and Governor a report on the implementation and efficacy of the articulated nursing pathway. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:noyes . State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) Access to a quality nursing education through California's public postsecondary institutions is provided through 74 California Community Colleges and 22 California State University (CSU) campuses. (b) The California Board of Registered Nursing is responsible for approving the comprehensive and quality nursing curriculum provided through the California Community Colleges and CSU and for licensing registered nurses who pass a standardized licensing exam. (c) The California Community Colleges provide approximately 70 percent of California's nursing workforce. (d) In order for California to meet the demand for an increasingly skilled and educated nursing workforce and to address the critical shortage of nurses throughout the state, it is an economic benefit to the state and students to streamline the community college and the CSU transfer pathway for nursing. (e) It is estimated that only 20 percent of community college associate degree nurses continue on to obtain a bachelor's degree. (f) At the bachelor's degree level, there is no common or standardized approach for recognizing an associate degree in nursing curriculum content and crediting a registered nurse with an associate' s degree for that knowledge. (g) The lack of a common nursing transfer pathway results in students having to take duplicative and unnecessary coursework that prolongs their time to degree and increases degree costs to both the student and state. These unnecessary barriers act as a disincentive for students who wish to continue their education to earn the bachelor of science in nursing. (h) California's workforce needs increasingly educated nurses to meet the demand for trained nurses with bachelor's degrees that are needed to fill public health nursing positions and for students to go on to complete a masters degree in nursing to fill nursing faculty positions at both the California Community College and CSU level. (i) A streamlined nursing degree transfer pathway between California Community Colleges and CSU will result in a cost savings to both the student and California, make it less burdensome for community college nursing students to further their education, and reduce the time to degree. SEC. 2. Section 89267.5 is added to the Education Code , to read: 89267.5. (a) As used in this section, "ADN-to-BSN student" means a person who meets all of the following qualifications: (1) The person has earned an associate degree in nursing from a California Community College from a program approved by the Board of Registered Nursing. (2) The person is licensed to work in California as a registered nurse. (3) The person is applying to the California State University to earn a bachelor of science in nursing. (b) The California State University shall comply with all of the following with respect to an ADN-to-BSN student enrolled in the California State University to earn a bachelor of the science of nursing degree: (1) A campus of the California State University that offers a bachelor of the science of nursing degree program shall not require an ADN-to-BSN student who has been admitted to that program to undertake any coursework other than the following: (A) The coursework that is unique and exclusively required to earn a bachelor of science in nursing. (B) Fifteen additional units or the minimum number of additional units to allow the student to achieve a total of 120 units, or both. (2) A campus of the California State University shall not require an ADN-to-BSN student to complete any duplicative courses for which the content is already required by the Board of Registered Nursing for licensure or that the student has already satisfied by earning the associate degree in nursing and becoming licensed as a registered nurse. (3) A campus of the California State University shall not require an ADN-to-BSN student, who has taken a prerequisite course at a California Community College to earn the associate degree in nursing, to take the same prerequisite course or same content from that prerequisite course at the university for the bachelor of the science of nursing degree. (c) The Office of the Chancellor of the California State University and the Chancellor's office of the California Community Colleges shall work collaboratively to coordinate and implement an articulated nursing degree transfer pathway. (d) By March 15, 2011, the Legislative Analyst's Office shall prepare and submit to the Legislature and Governor a report on the implementation and efficacy of the articulated nursing pathway. This report may be part of its annual budget report to the Legislature.SECTION 1.It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to do both of the following: (a) Create a model program that facilitates and expedites, for licensed registered nurses who have completed associate degrees in nursing, the completion of coursework necessary to earn a bachelor of science in nursing degree or master of science in nursing degree. (b) Create programs that facilitate the completion of master of science in nursing degrees by students who have completed baccalaureate degrees and who are enrolled in associate degree in nursing programs.