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BRN explains 2026 sunset review: board membership, timeline and what 'sunset' would mean
Summary
Board of Registered Nursing Executive Officer Laurie Melby gave an overview of the 2026 sunset review process on Sept. 18, describing the timeline, what parts of the board are subject to sunset, and what would happen if the 9‑member policy board were not reauthorized.
Laurie Melby, executive officer of the Board of Registered Nursing, briefed the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Advisory Committee on Sept. 18 about the 2026 sunset review process for the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN).
Melby said the nine-member policy board — five registered nurses and four public members — is the entity that the Legislature reviews in the sunset process; BRN staff and the bureau’s day-to-day licensing functions are not themselves “sunset” in the same way. Melby said if the board were sunset the BRN’s licensing and enforcement functions would continue but could be reorganized under the Department of Consumer Affairs as a bureau.
"It is a very involved process," Melby told the committee, and she described the sequence: staff prepare a sunset report and responses to legislative questions in the months before the Legislature’s review; a legislator typically authors a sunset bill in February; and the Assembly and Senate oversight committees consider the bill and stakeholder input. Melby reviewed the agency’s prior experience, including a 2010 sunset that temporarily removed the board after vetoed legislation and was later addressed with a subsequent bill.
Melby said staff aim to have the draft sunset report ready for the October Nurse Practice Committee and to present it to the full board for approval in November so the report can be available to the Legislature in January. She also explained a range of possible outcomes: a multi-year reauthorization, a one-year extension, or statutory changes to address stakeholder-requested updates. She cautioned that regulatory changes can proceed only when supported by statute.
Committee members asked clarifying questions; Melby reiterated that the regulatory process is separate from the sunset process and that regulations can only clarify statutory authority. She described stakeholder meetings with legislative staff and the public-comment process that typically follows proposed regulations, including Office of Administrative Law review and the potential for formal hearings.
Ending: Melby said the board will present the sunset report and related materials to advisory committees and to the full board before the report is submitted to the Legislature next year.
