California Assembly Bill AB705 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 705AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 19, 2013 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Blumenfield FEBRUARY 21, 2013 An act  to amend Section 2736.5 of the Business and Professions Code,  relating to healing arts. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 705, as amended, Blumenfield. Combat to Care Act. Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of various healing arts professions and vocations by boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs.  Existing law requires boards within the department to adopt rules and regulations to provide for methods of evaluating education, training, and experience obtained in the armed services, if applicable to the requirements of the business, occupation, or profession regulated, and to specify how this education, training, and experience may be used to meet the licensure requirements for the particular business, occupation, or profession regulated. Existing law, the Nursing Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of registered nurses by the Board of Registered Nursing.   Existing law requires applicants for licensure as a registered nurse to meet certain educational requirements, to have completed specified courses of instruction, and to not be subject to denial of licensure under specified circumstances. Existing law authorizes applicants who have served on active duty in the medical corps in the United States Armed Forces to submit a record of specified training to the board for evaluation in order to satisfy the courses of instruction requirement. Under existing law, if the applicant satisfies the other general licensure requirements and if the board determines that his or her education establishes competency to practice registered nursing, the applicant shall be granted a license upon passing a certain examination.  This bill would provide that this act shall be known, and may be cited  ,  as  ,  the Combat to Care Act and would make various legislative findings and declarations, including that California recognizes that military service members gain skill and experience while serving the country that, upon discharge, can be translated to the civilian world.  Th   e bill would require the Board of Registered Nursing to adopt regulations that identify the Armed Forces coursework, training, and experience that is equivalent or transferable to coursework required for licensure by the board. This bill would require the board, after evaluating a military applicant's education and training, to provide the applicant with a list of the coursework he or she must still complete to be eligible for licensure.  Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  no   yes  . State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. This act shall be known, and may be cited  ,  as  ,  the Combat to Care Act. SEC. 2. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) President Barack Obama signed the Veteran Skills to Jobs Act, authored by former California State Senator Jeff Denham, which directs federal licensing authorities to consider and accept military experience and training for the purposes of satisfying the requirements for licensure. (b) In signing the Veterans Skills to Jobs Act, President Obama declared that "No veteran who fought for our nation overseas should have to fight for a job when they return home." (c) The Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University found that, since 2001, more than 2.8 million military personnel have made the transition from military to civilian life and another one million service members will make this transition over the next five years. (d) California is home to the largest veteran population in the country, with approximately 2 million veterans, and is expected to welcome home 30,000 more annually. (e) California recognizes that military service members gain skills and experience while serving our country that, upon discharge, can be translated to the civilian world.  (f) Last year the Governor signed into law Assembly Bill 2659 (Ch. 406, Stats. 2012) to help veterans with military commercial motor vehicle driving experience transfer those skills into civilian life. This act is part of California's ongoing effort to streamline veterans into viable careers after military service.   SEC. 3.   Section 2736.5 of the   Business and Professions Code   is amended to read:  2736.5. (a) Any person who has served on active duty in the medical corps of any of the Armed Forces of the United States and who has successfully completed the course of instruction required to qualify him or her for rating as a medical service technician--independent duty, or other equivalent rating in his  or her  particular branch of the Armed Forces, and whose service in the Armed Forces has been under honorable conditions, may submit the record of  such   that  training to the board for evaluation.  (b) After making an evaluation pursuant to subdivisions (a) and (d), the board shall provide an applicant with a list of coursework, if any, that the applicant must complete to be eligible for licensure.   (b)   (c)  If  such person   an applicant  meets the qualifications of  subdivision (a) and  paragraphs (1) and (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 2736, and if the board determines that his or her education would give reasonable assurance of competence to practice as a registered nurse in this state, he or she shall be granted a license upon passing the standard examination for  such  licensure.  (c)   (d)  The board shall, by regulation, establish criteria for evaluating the education of applicants under this section.  (e) On or before January 1, 2015, the board shall, by regulation, identify the Armed Forces coursework, training, and experience that is equivalent or transferable to coursework required for licensure by the board.   (d)   (f)  The board shall maintain records of the following categories of applicants under this section: (1) Applicants who are rejected for examination  ,  and the areas of  such   those  applicants' preparation  which   that  are the causes of rejection. (2) Applicants who are qualified by their military education alone to take the examination, and the results of their examinations. (3) Applicants who are qualified to take the examination by their military education plus supplementary education, and the results of their examinations.  (e)   (g)  The board shall attempt to contact by mail or other means individuals meeting the requirements of subdivision (a) who have been or will be discharged or separated from the Armed Forces of the United States, in order to inform them of the application procedure provided by this section. The board may enter into an agreement with the federal government in order to secure the names and addresses of  such   those  individuals.