Legislation Impacting the Physician Assistant Board
2023
These bills have been chaptered and have an effective date of January 1, 2024, unless stated otherwise. Detailed bill information may be found by selecting the links in the “Bill” column below.
| Bill | Author, Chapter, Statute Year | Statutory Reference | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| AB 360 Excited delirium |
Gipson, Chapter 431, Statutes of 2023 | Health and Safety Code sections 24400, 24401, 24402, and 24403 | This bill would prohibit “excited delirium,” as defined, from being recognized as a valid medical diagnosis or cause of death in this state. The bill would prohibit a coroner, medical examiner, physician, or physician assistant from stating on the certificate of death or in any report that the cause of death was excited delirium. |
| AB 883 Business licenses: United States Department of Defense SkillBridge program |
Mathis, Chapter 348, Statutes of 2023 | Business and Professions Code section 115.4 | This bill requires boards and bureaus within the Department of Consumer Affairs, beginning July 1, 2024, to expedite license applications from active-duty military members participating in the Department of Defense’s SkillBridge program. |
| AB 1021 Controlled substances: rescheduling |
Wicks, Chapter 274, Statutes of 2023 | Health and Safety Code section 11150.3 | If federal law removes a controlled substance from Schedule I, allowing the substance to be prescribed under federal law, this bill authorizes the substance to be prescribed in California. This does not apply to cannabis or cannabis products. |
| AB 1070 Physician assistants: physician supervision: exceptions. |
Low, Chapter 827, Statutes of 2023 | Business and Professions Code section 3516 | This bill increases the number of physician assistants a physician can supervise when the physician assistant is performing an in-home health evaluation or annual wellness visit. Currently, physicians may only supervise four physician assistants at a time, regardless of the physician assistant’s duties. This bill will allow physicians to supervise up to eight physician assistants performing specified tasks. |
| AB 1707 Health professionals and facilities: adverse actions based on another state’s law |
Pacheco, Chapter 258, Statutes of 2023 | Business and Professions Code sections 805.9 and 850.1 Health and Safety Code sections 1220.1 and 1265.11 |
This bill prohibits a healing arts board from denying an application for license or imposing discipline upon a licensee solely on the basis of a civil judgment, criminal conviction, or disciplinary action in another state that is based on the application of another state’s law that interferes with a person’s right to receive sensitive services that would be lawful in this state, regardless of the patient’s location. The bill would similarly prohibit a health facility from denying staff privileges to, removing from medical staff, or restricting the staff privileges of a licensed health professional on the basis of such a civil judgment, criminal conviction, or disciplinary action imposed by another state. |
| AB 1731 CURES database: buprenorphine |
Santiago, Chapter 144, Statutes of 2023 | Health and Safety Code section 11165.4 | This bill exempts a health care practitioner from the duty to consult the CURES database when prescribing buprenorphine in the emergency department of a general acute care hospital. |
| SB 345 Health care services: legally protected health care activities |
Skinner, Chapter 260, Statutes of 2023 | Business and Professions Code sections 850.1 and 852 | This bill safeguards reproductive and gender affirming care by protecting health care licensees from criminal or disciplinary action solely for providing that care. This bill also protects consumers by prohibiting the collection, use, disclosure, or retention of the personal information of someone in the vicinity of a family planning center. Additionally, this bill allows unemancipated minors to obtain an abortion without the consent of a parent or guardian and makes updates to statutory terminology regarding fetuses. |
| SB 372 Department of Consumer Affairs: licensee and registrant records: name and gender changes |
Menjivar, Chapter 225, Statutes of 2023 | Business and Professions Code section 27.5 | This bill requires licensing entities within the Department of Consumer Affairs to update license records if that licensing entity receives government-issued documentation demonstrating a legal change of name or gender, as specified. This bill also allows licensees to request for their prior name to be removed from online license verification systems operated by the licensing entities and establishes a process for individuals to access a licensee’s enforcement records under their prior name. |
| SB 385 Physician Assistant Practice Act: abortion by aspiration: training |
Atkins, Chapter 178, Statutes of 2023 | Business and Professions Code sections 3502.4 and 3527.5 | This bill revises and recasts the statutory authority for physician assistants to perform abortions by aspiration. It allows physician assistants who have completed the required education and training to perform abortions by aspiration on patients without the presence of a physician, except as provided, and expands available training options. The bill would require a physician assistant to practice abortion by aspiration techniques consistent with applicable standards of care, within the scope of their clinical and professional education and training, and pursuant to their practice agreement. It also prohibits physician assistants from being punished or held liable for damages solely for performing an abortion by aspiration. |