Legislation Impacting the Physician Assistant Board
2021
These bills have been chaptered and have an effective date of January 1, 2022. Detailed bill information may be found by selecting the links in the “Bill” column below.
| Bill | Author, Chapter, Statute Year | Statutory Reference | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| AB 107 Licensure: Veterans and Military Spouses |
Salas, Chapter 693, Statutes of 2021 | Business and Professions Code section 115.6, 115.8, 115.9, 2946,5132, and 10151.3 | After July 1, 2023, this bill requires most boards and bureaus within the Department of Consumer Affairs shall issue temporary licenses to the spouses of active-duty members of the Armed Forces of the United States, meeting specified criteria within 30 days once all requirements have been met, including passing a background check if one is required for licensure. This bill also requires the Department of Consumer Affairs and boards and bureaus to post license information for spouses of active-duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States on their website. |
| SB 306 Sexually Transmitted Disease: Testing |
Pan, Chapter 486, Statutes of 2021 | Business and Professions Code section 4076. Health and Safety Code sections 120582 and 120685 | This bill allows a physician, nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, or physician assistant to prescribe medication, labeled “expedited partner therapy,” to a patient’s unnamed sexual partner or partners without examining those individuals. This bill also authorizes a pharmacist to dispense a drug without the name of an individual for whom the drug is intended if the prescription includes the words “expedited partner therapy” or the letters “EPT.” Additionally, health care providers engaged in prenatal care will be required to provide syphilis screening and testing as recommended by Department of Public Health guidelines. |
| SB 380 End of Life |
Eggman, Chapter 542, Statutes of 2021 | Health and Safety Code sections 443.1, 443.3, 443.4, 443.5, 443.14, 443.15, 443.17, and 443.125 | This bill makes several changes to the End of Life Option Act, including extending the sunset provision date, reducing the waiting period between the two required verbal requests for patients seeking aid-in-dying, and eliminating the requirement that an individual who is prescribed and ingests aid-in-dying medication make a final attestation. The bill also clarifies the minimum actions that must be taken by physicians who morally object to aid-in-dying. |
| AB 468 Emotional Support Animals |
Friedman, Chapter 168, Statutes of 2021 | Health and Safety Code sections 122317, 122318, 122319, and 122319.5 | This bill prohibits a health care practitioner from providing documentation relating to an individual’s need for an emotional support dog that is not a service dog, unless the health care practitioner complies with specified requirements. This bill also requires a written notice by a seller of emotional support animals, and associated certificates or equipment, that they do not have the same rights as service dogs. Individuals who violate the provisions of this bill may be charged with a misdemeanor. |
| SB 607 Business and Professions |
Min, Chapter 367, Statutes of 2021 | Business and Professions Code section 115.5 | This bill requires that boards and bureaus within the Department of Consumer Affairs, waive all fees for an initial license, in addition to the expedited licensure process, for an applicant who is married to, or in a domestic partnership or other legal union with an active-duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States, who is applying for licensure in California and holds a current license in another state or territory. |
| AB 1477 Maternal Mental Health |
Cervantes, Chapter 535, Statutes of 2021 | Health and Safety Code section 123640 | This bill specifies that a licensed health care practitioner who provides interpregnancy care for a patient must ensure that the mother is offered screening for maternal mental health conditions. |
Law Change Regarding Emotional Support Animals: What PAB Licensees Need to Know
AB 468 was recently signed by the Governor and becomes effective on January 1, 2022. This bill requires all health care practitioners to comply with all of the following if they are providing documentation relating to an individual’s need for an emotional support dog:
- They must have a valid, active license, and include their license effective date, license number, jurisdiction, and type of professional license in the documentation.
- They must be licensed in the jurisdiction where the documentation is provided (i.e. where the client is located).
- They must establish a client-provider relationship with the individual for at least 30 days prior to providing the documentation.
- They must complete a clinical evaluation of the individual regarding the need for an emotional support dog.
- They must provide a verbal or written notice to the individual that knowingly or fraudulently representing oneself as the owner or trainer of any dog licensed, qualified, or identified as a guide, signal or service dog is a misdemeanor violation of Section 365.7 of the Penal Code.
Any violation of the above subjects a health care practitioner to discipline from their licensing board.
What is an emotional support dog?
The bill defines an emotional support dog as a dog that provides emotional, cognitive, or other similar support to an individual with a disability, and that does not need to be trained or certified.
How many times must I meet with my client before issuing the documentation?
The new law states that the health care practitioner must not provide the documentation until a client-provider relationship has been established for at least 30 days. It does not prescribe a specified number of meetings.
Code Section: Health and Safety Code §122318