Board adopts fee‑reduction regulations after public comment, approves responses to 45‑day comment period

The California Board of Behavioral Sciences voted Nov. 21 to adopt fee‑reduction regulations after reviewing public comments received during the 45‑day public comment period.

Process and public input Staff reported 32 written comments and one oral comment during the extended comment window. Most submissions supported the proposed reductions; some asked clarifying questions about the regulation window, whether subsequent registration fees were covered, and how the reductions would affect processing and staffing. Staff recommended formal responses to each comment and advised no substantive changes to the proposed regulation text.

Board action The Board first voted to accept staff’s recommended responses to the public comments and then adopted the proposed amendments to Title 16, CCR sections listed in the packet, directing staff to file the final rulemaking package with OAL and authorizing the executive officer to make non‑substantive edits. Both motions passed on roll calls recorded in the meeting.

Key numbers and rationale Earlier in the meeting staff provided the budget context: a current operating budget figure and a projected ending reserve reported at roughly $34.2 million (about 25.5 months of reserve). Staff said the fee reductions were timed to reduce the reserve toward statutory targets without compromising operations. The Board also noted it can re‑evaluate the window as data become available.

Next steps Staff will submit the final rulemaking package to the Office of Administrative Law and implement the reductions per the adopted schedule; they will continue to monitor reserves and processing workloads and report back to the board as needed.