Healing arts

The law streamlines licensing and administrative requirements while preserving regulatory oversight across health care, construction, security, automotive repair, and household moving.

What the law does ​

• Lets qualified servicemembers and military spouses register to practice licensed professions in California without proving recent practice activity, while requiring proof of good standing and compliance with California practice standards.
• Requires county coroners and medical examiners to report suspected gross negligence or incompetence tied to deaths to the appropriate physician, podiatry, or physician-assistant licensing board.
• Updates dental licensing provisions after elimination of the portfolio-exam pathway and corrects dental-assistant radiation-safety rules.
• Lowers minimum registration and renewal fees for nonresident ophthalmic lens dispensers.
• Revises veterinary, behavioral-health, contractor, private-security, automotive-repair, fictitious-business-name, and household-mover rules.
• Allows automotive repair estimates to be provided electronically and requires fictitious business name forms to include the signer's printed name and title.

Who it affects ​

• Servicemembers and their spouses relocating to California under military orders who hold out-of-state professional licenses.
• Licensed and prospective dentists, optometrists, veterinarians, therapists, social workers, professional clinical counselors, contractors, security businesses, auto repair dealers, and household movers.
• County coroners, county medical examiners, county clerks, and businesses filing fictitious business name statements.

Breakdown ​

Military Spouse License Registration ​

This part makes it easier for eligible servicemembers and military spouses who move to California under military orders to register and work under their existing professional licenses. It defines key terms, removes the requirement that applicants recently practiced under their license, and adds an acknowledgment that they will follow California standards and scope-of-practice rules.

Key takeaways

• The bill defines “good standing” and “military orders” for the military-related professional registration process.
• It removes the requirement that an applicant performed licensed work during the two years before relocating to California.
• Applicants must state in their affidavit that they have read, understand, and will follow the registering authority’s standards and scope-of-practice rules.
• A person registered under this process remains subject to the applicable professional practice, discipline, and continuing-education requirements.
• Because false statements in the affidavit may constitute perjury and some licensing violations are crimes, the bill creates a state-required local program.

Death Reports to Licensing Agencies ​

This part requires county coroners and county medical examiners to receive and report information from pathologists suggesting that a death may have resulted from a physician’s, podiatrist’s, or physician assistant’s gross negligence or incompetence. The report remains confidential and goes to the appropriate licensing agency. The added duty for local officials creates a state-mandated local program.

Key takeaways

• County medical examiners are expressly included alongside county coroners in the reporting requirement.
• Reports must address information from a pathologist indicating that a death may have resulted from gross negligence or incompetence by a physician, podiatrist, or physician assistant.
• The report must be sent confidentially to the applicable regulatory agency.
• Adding these duties for local officials creates a state-mandated local program.

Dental Licensing Examination Updates ​

This part updates the Dental Practice Act to remove outdated references to the portfolio examination pathway that SB 1453 eliminated. It also adjusts the application-fee cap provision to match the remaining examination options and fixes an incorrect cross-reference about radiation-safety training for dental assistants.

Key takeaways

• The bill removes outdated Dental Practice Act provisions that still refer to the eliminated portfolio examination pathway for dental licensure.
• The bill updates the cap on dental license application fees because the cap had varied by the type of examination an applicant took.
• The bill makes the fee provision conform to SB 1453, which removed the portfolio examination option.
• The bill corrects a cross-reference concerning the radiation-safety course dental assistants must complete before performing radiographic procedures.

Nonresident Lens Dispenser Fees ​

The bill lowers the minimum fees that the State Board of Optometry may set for nonresident ophthalmic lens dispensers. It reduces the minimum initial registration fee and the minimum fee for renewing registration every two years.

Key takeaways

• The minimum registration fee for a nonresident ophthalmic lens dispenser would decrease from $500 to $350.
• The minimum biennial renewal fee for a nonresident ophthalmic lens dispenser would decrease from $300 to $200.
• The bill changes the minimum fee amounts, while the State Board of Optometry continues to set the fees within the applicable limits.

Veterinary Technician Rules ​

This part removes two Veterinary Medical Board requirements. Veterinarians who employ registered veterinary technicians or assistants will no longer be required to be fully aware of the governing law and board regulations. It also removes the board's authority to deny a registered veterinary technician application based on a conviction for a crime substantially related to the job.

Key takeaways

• The bill repeals the requirement that veterinarians employing registered veterinary technicians or assistants be fully aware of the relevant law and board regulations.
• The bill removes the Veterinary Medical Board's authority to deny a registered veterinary technician application because of a conviction substantially related to the technician's duties.
• The changes apply to rules governing registered veterinary technicians and assistants under the Veterinary Medicine Practice Act.

Behavioral Health Supervision and Training ​

The bill narrows when supervisors must assess whether video supervision is appropriate: only when supervision is actually conducted by live, two-way videoconferencing. It also removes the requirement that the Board of Behavioral Sciences consult with certain other licensing boards before proposing a human-sexuality training program.

Key takeaways

• Supervisors must assess the appropriateness of videoconferencing within 60 days only when they are conducting supervision through live, two-way video.
• The bill does not require that assessment for supervision conducted entirely in person.
• Marriage and family therapist, clinical social worker, and professional clinical counselor applicants must still complete human-sexuality training for licensure.
• The Board of Behavioral Sciences no longer has to consult with specified other licensing boards before proposing a human-sexuality training program.

Private Security Licensing Notices ​

The bill removes the requirement for the Director of Consumer Affairs to provide copies of certain licensing laws and rules to applicants, licensees, and others. It also corrects where a private patrol operator must display its qualified manager certificate: below the operator’s license at the main business location.

Key takeaways

• The bill repeals the rules requiring the Director of Consumer Affairs to provide copies of licensing laws, rules, and regulations and to charge for certain additional copies.
• The bill changes the display requirement for a qualified manager certificate under the Private Security Services Act.
• A private patrol operator must display the qualified manager certificate below its private patrol operator’s license at its principal place of business.
• The change corrects a prior reference to displaying the certificate below a branch office license.

Construction Management Advisory Committee ​

This part reduces the construction management education advisory committee from 11 members to 10. It also ends the requirement that the committee include a representative from the Engineering Contractors Association.

Key takeaways

• The advisory committee will have 10 members instead of 11.
• The committee continues to recommend grant awards supporting construction management courses of study.
• A representative from the Engineering Contractors Association will no longer be required to serve on the committee.

Electronic Auto Repair Estimates ​

This part allows automotive repair dealers to give customers required written repair estimates electronically, instead of only on paper. It also updates related enforcement rules to reflect the use of electronic estimates.

Key takeaways

• Automotive repair dealers may provide required repair estimates in an electronic format.
• The estimate requirement still applies to the labor and parts needed for a specific repair job.
• The bill updates related enforcement provisions to match the electronic-estimate option.

Fictitious Business Name Forms ​

The bill requires fictitious business name statement forms to add lines directly below the signature line for the signer’s printed name and title. County clerks must provide the updated form. Because the added information is part of a statement whose knowingly false material declarations can be criminal, the change also expands what can lead to that offense.

Key takeaways

• County clerks must include lines for the signatory’s printed name and title directly below the signature line on fictitious business name statement forms.
• The new printed-name and title fields apply to the person authorized to sign the statement.
• Adding these fields increases county clerks’ duties to provide the required form.
• Knowingly making a false material declaration about the added form information can fall within the existing crime for false declarations in these statements.
• The bill creates state-mandated local program costs by adding county duties and expanding the scope of that crime.

Household Mover Permit Applications ​

This part removes the requirement that applicants for a household mover permit prove they have the ability and financial responsibility to start the proposed moving business. The Bureau of Household Goods and Services will no longer require that showing as part of the permit application.

Key takeaways

• Applicants for a household mover permit will no longer have to demonstrate their ability to begin the proposed operation.
• Applicants will no longer have to establish financial responsibility to start the proposed moving business.
• The change removes a permit-application requirement administered by the Bureau of Household Goods and Services.

Technical Statutory Updates ​

This part makes nonsubstantive cleanup changes to the law. It updates cross-references and removes gendered pronouns without changing the underlying legal requirements.

Key takeaways

• The bill updates statutory cross-references.
• The bill removes gendered pronouns from the affected provisions.
• These changes are nonsubstantive and do not alter the underlying legal rules.

Coordination With AB 1598 ​

This part coordinates SB 1445 with AB 1598 if both bills become law. It adds AB 1598’s proposed changes to Business and Professions Code Section 4980.41 only if SB 1445 is signed after AB 1598.

Key takeaways

• The coordinated changes apply only if both SB 1445 and AB 1598 are enacted.
• SB 1445 must be enacted after AB 1598 for these additional changes to take effect.
• The changes concern Business and Professions Code Section 4980.41.

No State Reimbursement Required ​

This part of the bill states that the state does not have to reimburse local agencies or school districts for costs caused by the act. It gives a specified reason for exempting the act from the usual reimbursement requirement.

Key takeaways

• California generally must reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain state-required costs.
• The bill says no reimbursement is required for costs resulting from this act.
• The reimbursement exemption applies for the reason specified in the bill.