An act to amend Section 3508 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to healing arts.
Summary
SB 1376 would amend Section 3508 of the Business and Professions Code, which governs the Physician Assistant Board. Under current law, the board may meet as needed, but it must obtain permission from the Director of Consumer Affairs to meet more than six times per year, and the director must approve meetings necessary for the board to carry out its legal responsibilities. This bill would remove that director-approval requirement, giving the board more flexibility to schedule meetings without seeking prior permission for additional meetings.
The measure is narrow and procedural rather than substantive: it does not change licensing standards, scope of practice, disciplinary authority, or other core regulation of physician assistants. Instead, it adjusts the board’s internal meeting authority and removes a layer of administrative oversight from the Department of Consumer Affairs. The practical effect would be to make it easier for the Physician Assistant Board to meet more frequently when needed to conduct regulatory business.
Impact
SB 1376 would directly amend Business and Professions Code Section 3508, eliminating the statutory cap-and-approval framework that currently limits the Physician Assistant Board to six meetings per year absent permission from the Director of Consumer Affairs. If enacted, the board would be able to convene more often on its own authority, which could improve administrative responsiveness and reduce delays in board operations. The bill affects the Physician Assistant Board, the Department of Consumer Affairs, and physician assistant regulation generally, but it does not impose new fees, create a state program, or alter local government responsibilities.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests broad support and little controversy. The bill advanced with unanimous committee and floor votes in the context provided, including a 17-0 committee vote and a 38-0 vote on the consent calendar. That pattern indicates the measure was viewed as a low-impact administrative cleanup bill rather than a contentious policy change. No committee transcript excerpts were provided, but the procedural nature of the bill and its strong vote margins suggest generally favorable sentiment.
Contention
There is little visible opposition in the available record. The only meaningful policy issue is whether the Physician Assistant Board should continue to need approval from the Director of Consumer Affairs before meeting more than six times annually. Supporters likely view the change as a common-sense reduction in bureaucracy and a way to let the board meet as needed to fulfill its duties. Any concern would center on reduced oversight by the director, but the unanimous votes indicate that concern was not significant in the legislative process shown here.