Assembly Business And Professions Committee, Tuesday, April 14, 2026

14 April 2026

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Assembly Business And Professions Committee Mon, 13 Apr 2026 California State Assembly

33:57 - 35:10

Speaker 1

Good morning, and welcome to this morning's meeting of the Assembly Business and Professions Committee. There are a total of 14 bills on today's agenda, including the two the following two bills on consent, a b seventeen thirty three by assemblymember Lee and a b twenty six sixty seven by assemblymember Hadwick. Before we begin with today's agenda, I'll remind everyone that the assembly has rules to ensure we maintain order and run an efficient and fair hearing. We apply these rules consistently to all people who participate in our proceedings regardless of the viewpoint they express. In order to facilitate the goal of hearing as much from the public within the limits of our time, we will not permit conduct that disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of legislative proceedings.

For each of the measures being presented today, we will be allowing primary witnesses here in the room to speak for up to two minutes each with up to two primary witnesses per side. Any additional witnesses will be limited to name, position on the bill, and the organization they represent, if any. For those wishing to provide further comments, we are accepting written testimony through the position letter portal on the committee's website. And with that, we will begin today's hearing. And I see right at the top of the list and right on time is assembly member Quirk Silva with agenda item number one, AB fifteen ninety eight.

Ready when you are.

35:14 - 35:14

Speaker 2

Morning.

35:37 - 35:39

Speaker 1

And maybe just hit the button.

35:41 - 36:18

Speaker 30

I should know that by now. Alright. Good morning, mister chair and members of the committee. Today, I present a b fifteen ninety eight, which updates license statutes for mental health professionals regulated by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. To become licensed in California professionals such as marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers, professional clinical counselors, and educational psychologists must complete graduate school, pass licensing exams, and finish at least three thousand hours of supervised experience.

36:19 - 38:35

Speaker 3

Under current law, many of these requirements must generally be completed in six years. These strict timelines can create barriers for otherwise qualified applicants who experience life events such as medical leave, caregiving responsibility or financial hardship. At a time when California faces a shortage of licensed medical health professionals, these barriers can keep qualified applicants out of the workforce. When that happens, applicants may lose their previously completed experience hours or exam eligibility and may be forced to restart portions of the licensure process. As amended, AB fifteen ninety eight modernizes the board's licensing framework while maintaining strong consumer protections.

Specifically, the bill establishes a consistent seven year time frame across supervised experience examination requirements and associate registration limits. The bill extends the validity of supervised experience hours from six to seven years. It also requires applicants to have passed the required licensing exams within seven years before applying for licensure. This bill increases the number of associate registration renewals from five to six, allowing applicants up to seven years to complete the licensure process before needing a new registration. AB fifteen ninety eight allows a one time two year hardship extension for associates to continue working while completing requirements subject to board approval.

The bill also clarifies statuary statutory language regarding counseling, exemptions, including faith based counseling, and ensures individuals are not misrepresenting themselves as licensed professionals. These updates reduce any unnecessary administrative barriers while maintaining the professional standards necessary to protect patients and consumers. With me today to testify in support and answer any questions is Roseanne Roseanne Helms, who legislative manager and Steve Sautergreen, an executive officer.

38:36 - 38:38

Speaker 1

Great. And you have two minutes each.

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