2076.6.
(a) (1) Notwithstanding any other law, a physician who meets the requirements set forth in subdivision (b) shall register and may practice medicine in California through November 30, 2024, solely for the purpose of providing abortions, as defined in Section 123464 of the Health and Safety Code, and abortion-related care to patients who are Arizona residents traveling from Arizona seeking abortions or abortion-related care in California.
(2) Except as provided in Section 2058 or 2060, the physician shall not
provide care or consultation to any patient that is not related to either performing an abortion or abortion-related care, and shall not provide care or consultation for an abortion or abortion-related care to any patient unless they are Arizona residents who have traveled from Arizona to California for that care or consultation.
(b) The physician shall:
(1) Hold a medical license in good standing in Arizona that confers on the physician the authority to practice abortions and abortion-related care within a similar scope as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 123464 of the Health and Safety Code.
(2) Have performed at least one activity within the scope of subdivision (a) of Section 123464 of the Health and
Safety Code under the authority of their Arizona medical license during the two years immediately preceding their registration submission to the applicable board pursuant to paragraph (3).
(3) Submit to the Medical Board of California or the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, as applicable, written verification from the Arizona Medical Board or the Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners in Medicine and Surgery, as applicable, or documentation printed from an online licensing system, that the physician’s Arizona license is in good standing.
(4) For a physician provider who is licensed in more than one jurisdiction, the physician shall:
(A) Maintain an Arizona medical license in good standing.
(B) Submit to the Medical Board of California or the
Osteopathic Medical Board of California, as applicable, written verification from the state licensing board, or documentation printed from an online licensing system, for each jurisdiction that the registrant’s license is in good standing in that jurisdiction.
(5) Submit to the Medical Board of California or the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, as applicable, their Arizona address of record, their temporary California address of record, if any, and an affidavit attesting to both of the following:
(A) The provider meets all of the requirements for registration under this section.
(B) The information submitted to the applicable board pursuant to this section is accurate to the best of the provider’s knowledge.
(c) Any person who provides false information in the affidavit required pursuant to paragraph (5) of subdivision (b) is guilty of a public offense, punishable by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code, by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both the fine and imprisonment.
(d) (1) The Medical Board of California or the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, as applicable, shall register a physician who meets the requirements of subdivision (b) within
five business days of receiving all applicable documentation described in that subdivision. The registration shall expire on November 30, 2024.
(2) The applicable board shall not register any physician who fails to provide all applicable documentation described in subdivision (b) and shall deem the physician’s request for registration incomplete.
(3) If the applicable board deems the registration incomplete or that the physician does not meet the requirements of subdivision (b), the physician shall not engage in the practice of medicine in California
pursuant to this section unless the applicable board later deems the physician’s registration complete.
(e) A physician registered pursuant to this section shall not practice medicine in California until they submit to the applicable board the street address of a location in this state at which the physician will practice medicine. The registered physician shall submit to the applicable board the street address of each location in this state at which the physician will practice medicine.
(f) The applicable board shall not post information on its internet website regarding physicians registered pursuant to this section. Upon request, the applicable board shall disclose only the following information about persons registered pursuant to this section: the registrant’s name, registration status, and the Arizona license number. Other records and information submitted to the applicable board pursuant to this section shall be exempt from disclosure pursuant to the California Public Records Act (Division 10 (commencing with Section 7920.000) of Title 1 of the Government Code).
(g) A physician registered pursuant to this section shall be deemed to be a licensee of the applicable board for purposes of the laws administered by that board relating to standards of practice and discipline, for the duration of the registration. The physician shall be exempt from the requirements of the Radiologic Technology Act, as defined in Section 27 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to the use and supervision of use of radiographic or fluoroscopic x-ray equipment for diagnostic purposes but not therapeutic purposes. A physician registered pursuant to this section may only practice medicine within the scope described in subdivision (a).
(h) The applicable board may take appropriate enforcement action against a person registered pursuant to this section, including, but not limited to, revoking or suspending the registration of a person who does not meet the requirements of subdivision (b) or the laws applicable to licensees pursuant to subdivision (g).
(i) The applicable board shall not collect or require a fee for registration pursuant to this section.
(j) The applicable board may develop and publish guidance to implement this section.
(k) For purposes of this section, “good standing” means an active license to practice medicine with no restrictions or limitations on that license in effect and no accusation, or similar filing initiating disciplinary action, is pending, unless that accusation or filing is for an offense solely related to the performance of an abortion in that state.
(l) This section shall become inoperative on December 1, 2024, and, as of January 1, 2025, is repealed.
(Added by Stats. 2024, Ch. 11, Sec. 1. (SB 233) Effective May 23, 2024. Inoperative December 1, 2024, by its own provisions. Repealed as of January 1, 2025, by its own provisions.)