California Senate Bill SB896 Introduced / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: SB 896INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Senator Bates JANUARY 21, 2016 An act to amend Section 921 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to healing arts. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 896, as introduced, Bates. Health care professionals. Existing law, the Health Care Professional Disaster Response Act, states findings of the Legislature regarding the shortage of qualified health care practitioners during times of national or state disasters, and authorizes a physician and surgeon, whose license has been expired for less than 5 years and who meets specified criteria, to obtain a license without paying fees. This bill would make a nonsubstantive change to those findings. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 921 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read: 921. (a) The Legislature finds and declares  both of  the following: (1) In times of national or state disasters, a shortage of qualified health care practitioners may exist in areas throughout the state where they are desperately required to respond to public health emergencies. (2) Health care practitioners with lapsed or inactive licenses could potentially serve in those areas where a shortage of qualified health care practitioners exists, if licensing requirements were streamlined and fees curtailed. (b)  It is, therefore,   Therefore, it is  the intent of the Legislature to address these matters through the  provisions of the  Health Care Professional Disaster Response Act.