Under existing law, the Department of Consumer Affairs, which is under the control of the Director of Consumer Affairs, is comprised of various boards, as defined, that license and regulate various professions and vocations. Existing law requires a board within the department to issue, after appropriate investigation, certain types of temporary licenses to an applicant if the applicant meets specified requirements, including that the applicant supplies evidence satisfactory to the board that the applicant is married to, or in a domestic partnership or other legal union with, an active duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States who is assigned to a duty station in this state under official active duty military orders and the applicant holds a current, active, and unrestricted license that confers upon the applicant the authority to practice, in another state, district, or territory of the United States, the profession or vocation for which the applicant seeks a temporary license from the board. Existing law authorizes a board to adopt regulations necessary to administer these provisions.

This bill would expand that requirement to issue temporary licenses to include licenses issued by the Veterinary Medical Board, the Dental Board of California, the Dental Hygiene Board of California, the California State Board of Pharmacy, the State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, the Board of Psychology, the California Board of Occupational Therapy, the Physical Therapy Board of California, and the California Board of Accountancy. The bill would require a board to issue a temporary license within 30 days of receiving the required documentation. The bill would specifically direct revenues from fees for temporary licenses issued by the California Board of Accountancy to be credited to the Accountancy Fund, a continuously appropriated fund. By establishing a new source of revenue for a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation. The bill would require a temporary license to be converted to a standard license if, within 12 months of issuance, the applicant demonstrates having met all of the requirements for a standard license or submits documents demonstrating that the requirements to obtain the out-of-state license were substantially equivalent to the requirements for a standard license as determined by the board in order to protect the public. The bill would require a board to adopt submit to the department for approval draft regulations necessary to administer these provisions and to publish regulations on its internet website and in application materials by January 1, 2022. The bill would exempt from these provisions a board that has a process in place by which an out-of-state licensed applicant in good standing who is married to, or in a domestic partnership or other legal union with, an active duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States is able to receive expedited, temporary authorization to practice while meeting state-specific requirements for a period of at least one year.