An act to add and repeal Article 3.2 (commencing with Section 78045) of Chapter 1 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to postsecondary education.
Summary
AB 2301 would create a Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing Pilot Program within the California Community Colleges system. The Chancellor’s Office would be required to select up to 10 community college districts statewide to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, while keeping each participating district’s associate degree in nursing program in place. The bill sets selection priorities for districts in underserved nursing areas, communities with persistent poverty, and, for provisional selections, districts in candidate accreditation status, with additional emphasis on the Central Valley and Inland Empire.
The pilot program would cap participation at 25 percent of the district’s approved ADN class size or 35 students, whichever is greater, and would require participating districts to give priority registration to students who earned an associate degree in nursing from that same district. The Chancellor’s Office would also have to develop a process to help nursing programs seeking national accreditation qualify for the pilot. The Legislative Analyst’s Office would evaluate the pilot and report to the Legislature by July 1, 2034, and the authorization would sunset on January 1, 2036.
Impact
The bill would add a new, temporary article to the Education Code creating a limited exception to existing statewide community college baccalaureate rules so selected districts can offer BSN degrees. It would affect the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, participating community college districts, the Board of Registered Nursing’s class-size approvals, and the Department of Health Care Access and Information’s shortage-area designations. It would also require data collection and reporting for legislative review, but it does not make an appropriation and is described as a fiscal committee bill.
Sentiment
The available voting history shows strong support and no recorded opposition: the bill passed committee unanimously, including a 7-0 vote on one committee action and an 8-0 vote on the later do-pass motion. There are no committee transcript snippets provided, so the broader discussion record is limited, but the vote pattern suggests the proposal was viewed favorably by committee members.
Contention
The main policy issues embedded in the bill are not partisan disputes in the record provided, but implementation questions. These include which 10 districts should be selected, how to balance geographic equity with prioritizing underserved and high-poverty areas, and how to handle districts that are not yet fully nationally accredited but are in candidate status. Another point of interest is the bill’s limits on enrollment and its requirement that districts continue offering ADN programs, which reflects an effort to expand BSN access without displacing existing nursing pathways.
An act to add Article 6 (commencing with Section 74298) to Chapter 5 of Part 46 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to community colleges. An act to amend Section 53369.3 of the Government Code, relating to local government.
An act to add and repeal Article 3.3 (commencing with Section 78047) of Chapter 1 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to community colleges.
An act to amend Sections 15102, 15106, 15268, and 15270 of, to add Article 8 (commencing with Section 89800) to Chapter 6 of Part 55 of Division 8 of Title 3 of, to add Article 7 (commencing with Section 92170) to Chapter 2 of Part 57 of Division 9 of Title 3 of, and to add Part 71 (commencing with Section 101200) to Division 14 of Title 3 of, the Education Code,
relating to education finance, by providing the funds necessary therefor through an election for the issuance and sale of bonds of the State of California and for the handling and disposition of these funds.
An act to add Section 37224 to, and to add Article 12 (commencing with Section 66095) to Chapter 2 of Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of, the Education Code, and to amend Sections 11131 and 54961 of the Government Code, relating to holidays.
An act to amend Section 66725.5 of add Article 1.6 (commencing with Section 78024) to Chapter 1 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education.
An act to amend Sections 44671 and 49600 of, and to add Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 52210) to Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of, the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction.
Relating to the authority of the Wood County Central Hospital District of Wood County, Texas, to provide brain and memory care services to residents of the hospital district through the creation and operation of brain and memory health care services districts.