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BRN begins 2026 sunset review; board hears calls to subsidize nurse support groups and reconsider APRN rules
Summary
At the Aug. 21 meeting the BRN outlined the timeline for its 2026 sunset review and received board and public suggestions including subsidizing nurse support groups, examining DUI reporting and discipline policies, and reviewing APRN supervision and advisory committee roles.
Executive Officer Loretta Melby outlined the California Board of Registered Nursing's timeline for the 2026 sunset review at the board's Aug. 21, 2025, meeting and invited stakeholder suggestions for statutory and regulatory changes.
Melby said staff will prepare a draft report for the Nurse Practice Committee in October, bring edits to the full board in November, and — if needed — hold a special December meeting for final approval before submitting the report to the Legislature in January. The report will summarize accomplishments, outstanding tasks and stakeholder requests.
Board members used the agenda item to raise priorities for the sunset process. Board member Nilu Patel asked the board to consider eliminating outdated supervision and standardized procedure requirements to align with the APRN consensus model and to give APRN advisory committees greater influence over scope and regulation. Melby replied that standardized procedures are used in many nursing contexts and that APRN advisory committees already make recommendations to the board but do not have statutory rulemaking authority.
Board member Vicky Granowitz and others pressed staff to explore subsidizing nurse support groups that serve intervention participants, noting inconsistent fees and availability. Granowitz and other board members said facilitators sometimes charge participants while other groups provide services at no cost; facilitators and participants have both filed complaints about access and turnover.
Shannon Johnson and Loretta Melby described ongoing work on the support groups: the vendor transition to Premier Health Group, recruitment for IEC membership, and exploration of companies that could provide coordinated training or administrative support for facilitators. Melby stressed that the board is in an exploratory stage and that contracting for centralized support would not automatically replace existing facilitators: "It does not mean we're going into contract with them. It means we are starting to explore different companies that are out there," she said.
Several public commenters urged stronger APRN representation and engagement. Melanie Rowe, a certified registered nurse anesthetist and practice director for the California Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, said advisory committees "are literally the subject matter experts for the profession" and urged more opportunities for APRN input. Monica Miller, representing the California Association of Nurse Anesthesiology and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, thanked the board and said stakeholder discussions should continue.
Board members and staff encouraged stakeholders to submit proposals to staff. Melby said she would review suggestions but cautioned that some requests fall outside the BRN's statutory authority or better belong in other agencies. She gave the example of facility reporting that would fall under the California Department of Public Health or other state entities rather than the board.
No formal legislative proposals were approved at the meeting. Staff will collect stakeholder input for the sunset report and return to the board with a draft in October.
