Bill Text: CA AB778 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Assembly Bill 778 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Acupuncture: continuing education.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2020-08-30 - Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Hertzberg. [AB778 Detail]

Download: California-2019-AB778-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 778

Introduced by Assembly Member Low

February 19, 2019

An act to amend Section 4945 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to healing arts.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 778, as introduced, Low. Acupuncture: continuing education.

Existing law establishes the Acupuncture Board to administer and enforce the Acupuncture Licensure Act and requires each acupuncturist to complete 50 hours of continuing education every two years. Existing law requires a provider of continuing education to apply to the board for approval to offer continuing education courses and to be monitored by the board.

This bill would require the board to establish, by regulation, a procedure for identifying acceptable providers of continuing education courses and would require all providers of continuing education to comply with the procedures established by the board. The bill would authorize the board to revoke or deny the right of a provider to offer continuing education coursework for failure to comply with specified provisions of law.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 4945 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read:

4945.

(a) The board shall establish standards for continuing education for acupuncturists.

(b) The board shall require each acupuncturist to complete 50 hours of continuing education every two years as a condition for renewal of ~~his or her~~ the acupuncturist’s license. No more than five hours of continuing education in each two-year period may be spent on issues unrelated to clinical matters or the actual provision of health care to patients. A

(c) The board shall establish, by regulation, a procedure for identifying acceptable providers of continuing education courses, and all providers of continuing education shall comply with procedures established by the board.

(d) A provider of continuing education shall apply to the board for approval to offer continuing education courses for credit toward ~~this~~ the requirement under subdivision (b) on a form developed by the board, shall pay a fee covering the cost of approval and for the monitoring of the provider by the ~~board~~ board, and shall set forth the following information on the application:

(1) Course content.

(2) Test criteria.

(3) Hours of continuing education credit requested for the course.

(4) Experience and training of instructors.

(5) Other information as required by the board.

(6) That interpreters or bilingual instruction will be made available, when necessary.

(e) The board may revoke or deny the right of a provider to offer continuing education coursework pursuant to this section for failure to comply with this section or any regulation adopted pursuant to this section.
~~(c)~~

(f) Licensees residing out of state or out of the country shall comply with the continuing education requirements.

~~(d)~~

(g) Providers of continuing education shall be monitored by the board as determined by the board.

~~(e)~~

(h) If the board determines that any acupuncturist has not obtained the required number of hours of continuing education, it may renew the acupuncturist’s license and require that the deficient hours of continuing education be made up during the following renewal period in addition to the current continuing education required for that period. If any acupuncturist fails to make up the deficient hours and complete the current requirement of hours of continuing education during the subsequent renewal period, then ~~his or her~~ the acupuncturist’s license to practice acupuncture shall not be renewed until all the required hours are completed and documented to the board.