For more than four decades, CANP has actively engaged in the politics process, educating legislators and policy makers about the role NPs play in California's health care delivery system and protecting and expanding NP practice.
The California Association for Nurse Practitioners was founded October 8-9, 1977 as the California Coalition of Nurse Practitioners (CCNP), during a statewide CE seminar by a group of pioneering nurse practitioners from the Master’s in Health Services Program at the University of California, Davis.
First statewide NP mailing list is developed and published by CCNP.
The first annual CCNP conference is held in Monterey, March 1978.
CCNP becomes a mutual benefit, non-profit corporation. Articles of Incorporation signed February 7, 1983.
Legislation passes mandating nurse practitioners credentialing by Board of Registered Nursing (BRN), (AB 2629, Bronzan, Chapter 525, Statutes of 1984).
CCNP’s Political Action Committee is formed to empower NPs to participate in the political process supporting legislative candidates.
Nurse practitioners obtain furnishing authority (AB 4372, Isenberg, Chapter 493, Statutes of 1986).
Direct billing for Medi-Cal reimbursement for Pediatric and Primary Care Nurse Practitioners is authorized (AB 1224, Chapter 702, Statutes of 1991).
Nurse practitioners obtain authority to furnish Controlled Substances Scheduled III-V (AB 1077, Hannigan, Chapter 455, Statutes of 1996).
Pharmacists required to include nurse practitioners’ names as on prescription labels (AB 1545, Correa, Chapter 914, Statutes of 1999).
Nurse practitioners are defined as professional employees who may be exempt from mandatory overtime — thus allowing nurse practitioners to negotiate salaried positions without the required mandatory overtime after 8 hours required for registered nurses (AB 60, Knox, Chapter 134, Statutes of 1999).
Nurse practitioners may supervise Medical Assistants performing venipuncture and injections (SB 111, Alpert, Chapter 358, Statutes of 2001).
Nurse practitioners authorized to request and receive sample medications (AB 1545, Correa, Chapter 914, Statutes of 1999).
The California Coalition of Nurse Practitioners (CCNP) is renamed the California Association for Nurse Practitioners (CANP).
Nurse practitioners obtain legal authority to furnish Controlled Substances Schedule II (AB 1196, Montanez, Chapter 748, Statutes of 2003).
An initial applicant is required for a nurse practitioner certificate to possess a master’s degree in nursing or in clinical filed related to nursing (AB 2226, Spitzer, Chapter 344, Statutes of 2004).
Removes physician name requirement on prescription label when a nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, or physician assistant writes the prescription (AB 2660, Leno, Chapter 191, Statutes of 2004).
Nurse practitioners authorized to apply for a Medi-Cal provider number and bill Medi-Cal independent of a physician (AB 1591, Chan, Chapter 719, Statutes of 2006).
Nurse practitioners authorized to certify disability for the purposes of a disability placard or plate (AB 2120, Liu, Chapter 116, Statutes of 2006).
Nurse practitioners are authorized to obtain consent for autologous blood and direct/non-direct homologous blood transfusions (SB 102, Migden, Chapter 88, Statutes of 2007).
Nurse practitioners have the ability to sign DMV Physical exams for bus drivers and farm-labor vehicle drivers (AB 139, Bass, Chapter 158, Statutes of 2007).
Assembly Bill 1436, the state's first bill regarding NP scope of practice, is introduced by Assemblymember Ed Hernandez.
Nurse practitioners are clearly authorized to order durable medical equipment, certify disability, and to approve, sign, or modify a plan of care for a patient requiring home health services, within the standardized procedure (SB 819, Yee, Chapter 308, Statutes of 2009).
The Unemployment Insurance Code is updated to reflect nurse practitioners’ authority to authorize disability benefits (AB 2188, Bradford and Niello, Chapter 378, Statutes of 2010).
California State University (CSU) campuses throughout California may award a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree (AB 867, Nava and Arambula, Chapter 416, Statutes of 2010).
Nurse practitioners are permitted to perform consultation and treatment in an emergency department, under certain conditions (SB 233, Pavley, Chapter 333, Statutes of 2011).
Through administrative advocacy, CANP works with the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to issue provider numbers to NPs, allowing all NPs to bill Medi-Cal directly rather than under a physician’s Medi-Cal provider number.
Nurse practitioners will no longer be required to have six months of physician-supervised furnishing experience prior to receiving a furnishing number from the Board of Registered Nursing. (SB 1524, Hernandez, Chapter 796, Statutes of 2012).
CANP helped lead the effort in support of Senate Bill 491 (Hernandez), which proposed permitting nurse practitioners in California to practice to the full extent of their training and expertise. The bill was passed by the State Senate but was held in the Assembly.
NPs, physician assistants (PAs) and certified midwives are permitted to perform abortions via aspiration technique in the first trimester of pregnancy without a physician present (AB 154, Atkins, Chapter 662, Statutes of 2013). California thus becomes the fifth state in the nation to allow practitioners other than physicians to perform first trimester abortions.
NPs and PAs are permitted to supervise medical assistants (MAs) in all practice settings, not just in community clinics, allowing for the treatment of more patients, more quickly (SB 352, Pavley, Chapter 286, Statutes of 2013).
CANP successfully advocates to include NPs among the school personnel addressed in AB 1667 (Williams, Chapter 329, Statutes of 2014), which replaces mandatory universal tuberculosis (TB) testing of school personnel with a TB risk assessment, which would identify high-risk personnel and require TB testing of only those individuals.
CANP spearheads the effort in support of Senate Bill 323 (Hernandez-Eggman), which would enable full practice authority for California nurse practitioners. The bill is approved by the full Senate but fails passage in the Assembly Committee on Business and Professions. It is subsequently designated as a two-year bill, meaning its progress could resume from the same point when the second year of the 2015-16 legislative session commences.
Gov. Jerry Brown signs Assembly Bill 637 (Campos), which authorizes nurse practitioners and physician assistants to sign and create valid Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) forms and make them actionable medical orders.
Designated as a two-year bill and granted reconsideration by the Assembly Committee on Business and Professions, Senate Bill 323 fails to garner sufficient support from committee members to advance, thus ending its progress.
Throughout the year, CANP commemorates the 40th anniversary of its founding, marking four decades as the unifying voice of nurse practitioners in California.
With support from CANP, Senate Bill 554 (Stone) is passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown. The measure conforms California law with recent changes in federal law to permit nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants the authority to prescribe medication for opioid addiction treatment.
Gov. Brown signs CANP-supported Assembly Bill 422 (Arambula), which extends the authority of the California State University system to enroll new students in its Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program.
Reflecting its growing status as an influential voice in the health care policy realm, CANP announces its first-ever endorsements of candidates for statewide office. CANP declared its support of Gavin Newsom for Governor, and Ed Hernandez for Lieutenant Governor.
The California Future Health Workforce Commission issues its final report. Among its conclusions is that the removal of practice barriers imposed on nurse practitioners in California is a vital step in assuring direct access to care for California’s growing and diverse population.
CANP supported Assembly Bill 890 (Wood) would ensure direct access to care for Californians by removing antiquated barriers to nurse practitioner practice. The bill passed the Assembly Committee on Business and Professions by a vote of 16-0 on April 9, 2019. It was then designated as a two-year bill by the Assembly Committee on Appropriations, meaning it could resume its progress from the same point when the second year of the 2019-2020 legislative session commences.
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.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 890 into law on September 29, 2020.
The passage and enactment of Assembly Bill 890 (Jim Wood, D, Santa Rose) in 2020 and Senate Bill 1375 (Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D, San Diego) illustrates the effectiveness and success of CANP’s advocacy efforts. Through AB 890, California nurse practitioners (NPs) now join 22 other states, including every state in the West, in allowing NPs to practice without physician supervision. The law went into effect on January 1, 2023.
CANP-sponsored SB 1375, co-authored by Atkins and Wood, was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 27, 2022. SB 1375 increases access to affordable, quality abortion care and reproductive health services in California. It clarifies existing laws so that trained and experienced nurse practitioners can provide this critically needed care without physician supervision.
Our role in leading and mobilizing a diverse, 80+ member coalition and educating lawmakers and health care stakeholders about California’s several and ever-growing provider shortage will help increase access to high quality health care for all Californians.
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