Board authorizes rulemaking to formalize online renewals and inactive-status options

The California Physician Assistant Board authorized staff to initiate rulemaking on May 18 to adopt regulatory text for 16 CCR sections 1399.507, 1399.514, 1399.615, and 1399.619 that would formalize online renewal procedures, document convenience fees to third‑party payment processors, and add the ability for applicants to select inactive status at renewal. Regulations counsel explained the package had been held pending the board's sunset bill (AB 1501) because the Office of Administrative Law previously flagged whether the statute expressly authorized electronic renewal; AB 1501 now explicitly authorizes online forms under Business and Professions Code section 3523.

The suggested motion language was read into the record and included rescinding prior motions that authorized regulatory text, approving the proposed text in attachment one, directing staff to submit the package to the DCA and Business and Consumer Services Agency for review, and authorizing the executive officer to take steps to initiate rulemaking, make non‑substantive edits, and complete the process (including adoption if no adverse comments are received).

Board members voted by roll call to adopt the motion and authorized the executive officer to submit the package for review and proceed with the rulemaking process. The motion included a standard authorization to set a hearing if requested and to complete the rulemaking in the absence of adverse comments.

Why it matters: formalizing online renewal and inactive options will change how licensees interact with the board's licensing system, clarify lapsed‑license consequences, and standardize processes that staff currently handle administratively.

The board approved initiation of the rulemaking; staff will prepare the formal documents for submission to the acting director for review and for publication as required by the Administrative Procedure Act.