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Committee advances BRN sunset bill with remediation pathway for nursing program leaders
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Summary
The Senate Business and Professions Committee moved SB 1302, extending the Board of Registered Nursing and adding remediation routes for program directors, streamlining advanced-practitioner renewals and aligning simulation standards; nursing groups testified in support and the author accepted amendments.
The Senate Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development on Wednesday advanced SB 1302, a sunset-extension bill for the California Board of Registered Nursing that would extend the board's authority for four years and change licensure and program rules for advanced-practice nurses.
The bill’s author told the committee the measure aims to “improve the overall operations of the board to ensure a healthy and efficient nursing workforce in California,” and said she accepted author amendments that create a remediation pathway for program directors and assistant program directors similar to existing faculty remediation processes. "I respectfully ask for an I vote," the senator said.
Loretta Melby, identified as executive officer of the Board of Registered Nursing, was introduced as the technical witness to answer committee questions. Representatives of the American Nurses Association of California and the California Association for Nurse Practitioners told the committee they support the bill, citing pipeline concerns and the need to modernize nurse practitioner statute language.
A speaker from the California Medical Association raised a narrow concern about provisions allowing out-of-state nurse practitioners to transition to practice in California and said the association looks forward to working with the author and committee to address that item.
Among the bill’s technical changes, the author said, SB 1302 would streamline renewal applications for nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives, align simulation standards for clinical experience, require the Board to use national approvals and allow recognition of nurse practitioner experience gained in other states. The bill also extends the Board’s ability to appoint an executive officer.
After public testimony and brief committee discussion, the committee placed SB 1302 on call and moved it toward the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The committee recorded the item as moving forward to Senate Appropriations; committee staff said the item would be placed on call pending absent members’ votes.
