On September 29, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 890 by Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa) into law after it passed through both houses of the California Legislature with broad bipartisan support.
AB 890 allows NPs to work without physician supervision, removing the supervisory requirement in existing law so NPs can provide the same high quality care they do today and care more directly for patients.
Throughout the legislative process, the CANP team worked tirelessly to bring to the forefront the severe and growing provider shortage in California and the important role NPs play in closing the health care gap by delivering quality health care for millions of Californians. We proudly led and activated the 80-plus member Close the Provider Gap coalition that provided research-based messaging and compelling details to lawmakers, the media, and the public about the many merits of this law.
Our work is not finished. There are many intricacies of this law, and CANP is here to help members understand its implementation.
CANP remains committed to helping members understand and navigate complex and emerging issues and to ensure that NPs and their profession are strongly represented in California’s political process. For the latest about AB 890 implementation, please read this Overview of AB 890 and this recording of the CANP Town Hall on AB 890 (both requires CANP member login).
For a general overview of AB 890 that is accessible by non-CANP members, please click here.
Our members, alongside a coalition of 80-plus organizations, worked to elevate the severity of California’s growing provider shortage and demonstrate how NPs can help all Californians, especially underserved and rural communities, gain desperately needed access to quality health care.
AB 890, authored by Assemblymember Jim Wood (D, Santa Rosa), Chair of the Assembly Committee on Health, garnered significant support from many throughout the state but also encountered fierce opposition from organized medicine.
On May 16, 2019, the Assembly Committee on Appropriations designated AB 890 as a two-year bill, delaying its progress, but maintaining its eligibility to be taken up in the second year of the current two-year legislative session. The measure had previously passed out of the Assembly Committee on Business and Professions by a vote of 16-0 on April 9, 2019.
The Assembly Appropriations Committee approved AB 890 on January 23, 2020, sending it forward for a vote by the full Assembly. On January 27, 2020, the Assembly then passed the measure by an overwhelming bipartisan vote (61-1).
The bill was then heard by the Senate Business & Professions Committee on Saturday, August 8, 2020 and passed on a 7-1 vote. The bill was placed in the Senate Appropriations Committee “Suspense File” on August 18, 2020, then successfully passed out of the committee on August 20, 2020.
AB 890 passed out of the California Legislature on August 31, 2020. The measure was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 29, 2020.
SEE ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND ON AB 890
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