UNAC/UHCP advocates for the passage of AB 655 (Scott – D). This bill requires the University of California, California State Universities, California Community Colleges and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities to jointly develop a plan and budget that would significantly increase the number of students graduating from nursing programs, provide specialty training, and report their findings to the Legislature.
2000
UNAC/UHCP helps add $10 million to the community college budget for nursing education programs. Although the augmentation is later “blue penciled/eliminated” by the Governor, it helps focus legislative attention on the acute nursing shortage and the need to address nursing education, particularly at the community college level.
2001
UNAC/UHCP successfully fights for the enactment of SB 664 (Poochigian- R), which requires a study of community college districts’ admission procedures and attrition rates for their 2-year Associate in Arts (AA) nursing degree programs. The study is to be conducted by the California Postsecondary Education Commission and reported back to the Legislature by January 10, 2003.
2002
With the help of UNAC/UHCP, two more nursing education bills pass in the Legislature. AB 2314 (Thomson – D) requires the California Community Colleges and California State Universities to standardize all nursing pre-requisites on their campuses by September 1, 2005. The bill is signed into law by the Governor. The second bill, SB 2008 (Speier- D), seeks to establish a special loan repayment program for nursing students. After it passes the Legislature, it is vetoed because of the $2.8 million dollar annual cost.
2003
UNAC/UHCP supports the enactment of AB 1241 (Parra- D)- legislation that establishes an associate degree in nursing (ADN) scholarship program to provide for up to 60 nursing scholarships per year in the amount of $2,500 each. UNAC/UHCP also supports legislation to provide for extended Cal Works Eligibility for nursing students, which passes the Legislature but is vetoed by the Governor.
2004
AB 2839 (Daucher- D), signed into law by the Governor, requires the Board of Registered Nursing to work with the colleges and universities to standardize transfer and enrollment agreements between associate and baccalaureate degree nursing programs to ensure that students do not have to repeat coursework. UNAC/UHCP supports this bill.
2005
UNAC/UHCP supports SB 102 (Ducheny- D) which authorizes the Employment Training panel to allocate funds in the Employment Training Fund for up to 5 licensed nurse training pilot programs to train individuals currently working as nurse assistants or caregivers in a health facility.
UNAC/UHCP also advocates for the restoration of nurse education funding in the 2005 budget that was blue penciled/elminated. SB 73, a Senate Budget Committee bill, is “gutted and amended” as an urgency bill a few days before the end of the session to reinstate this $3.44 million dollar appropriation that provides for 260 new entry-level nursing education slots in the 2006-2007 budget year.
2005
UNAC/UHCP also supports the enactment of AB 702 (Koretz- D) regarding nursing education. The bill requires Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) to establish a statewide Registered Nurse Educator Scholarship Program to contract with colleges and universities to establish or expand related curriculum. It also provides educational loans to registered nurses who are seeking a master’s or doctorate degree in nursing and who will commit to serving as registered nurse educators in California for a period of 3 to 5 years upon completion of their studies.
2006
UNAC/UHCP advocates for the successful enactment of SB 1309 (Scott – D) regarding further expansion of U.C., C.S.U., and the community colleges’ nursing education programs. The Governor’s 2007 budget proposes to augment the community college budget by $9 million to increase enrollment in nursing education programs.
2008
AB 638 (Bass – D) establishes the California Physician Assistant Loan Assumption Program. This bill creates the California Physician Assistant Loan Assumption Program, under which any person enrolled in or admitted to a physician assistant program at an eligible institution, and who meets other program requirements, is eligible to receive a conditional agreement for loan assumption, to be redeemed upon working for a specified period as a physician assistant in a designated medically underserved area. UNAC/UHCP supports this important legislation.
