CANP has been working diligently to address AB 890 (Wood, 2020) implementation hurdles so that California nurse practitioners can expand access to care as intended by the law. That's why the California Association for Nurse Practitioners and the Close the Provider Gap Coalition strongly support SB 1451, authored by Senator Angelique Ashby. SB 1451 includes language to ensure the full and effective implementation of AB 890. On Sept. 22, Governor Newsom signed SB 1451 into law. SB 1451 will take effect Jan. 1, 2025.
CANP has developed resources to help members navigate and prepare for the scope of practice and regulatory changes impacting your practice.
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In 2020, CANP and its members achieved a monumental victory with the passage of AB 890. After a decade of working towards full practice authority, AB 890 codified this ability into state law. You can read a summary of the provisions of AB 890 here.
The law went into effect on January 1, 2023, enabling NPs in specified practice settings across California to begin practicing without physician supervision and expand access to much-needed care.
Since its passage, CANP and our Close the Provider Gap coalition have worked determinedly—both legislatively and through the regulatory process at the BRN—to ensure the full intent of the law is achieved.
The AB 890 regulations proposed and adopted by the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) were formally approved by California's Office of Administrative Law On December 30, 2022 – a major last step necessary to implement AB 890.
The BRN released the 103 NP application via BreEZe in January 2023.
On December 30, 2022, the OAL formally approved the final AB 890 regulation adopted by the BRN. CANP remained actively engaged in the regulatory process, working to ensure the regulations ultimately adopted were true to the spirit and intent of AB 890 and expand access to care throughout California.
On November 14, 2022, the BRN voted to adopt the AB 890 regulations without any substantive changes. The regulatory package was sent to the Business, Consumer Services & Housing Agency for finalization, then the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) for approval. OAL had 30 days to approve; the BRN asked for expedited approval to try to have the regulations complete and implemented by Jan. 1, 2023.
In addition to the AB 890 regulations, the Office of Professional Examination Services (OPES) presented its findings to the board regarding the AB 890 occupational analysis, the goal of which was to evaluate whether a supplemental exam is needed for NPs who wish to practice independently. Fortunately, OPES does not believe there is a need for a supplemental exam, but is recommending that the BRN require additional supervised clinical experience and mentoring programs as part of the transition to practice. The OPES recommendations will now go back to Nurse Practitioner Advisory Committee (NPAC), which will decide what to do with the recommended additional supervised clinical experience and mentorship as part of transition-to-practice.
On September 20, 2022, the BRN released its proposed regulations, Notice of Proposed Action: Categories of Nurse Practitioners and Scope of Practice, which would amend and add sections pursuant to AB 890.
On November 17, 2021, the Board of Registered Nursing voted to initiate the rulemaking process for AB 890 regulations. This means that the formal regulatory process has begun. The regulations adopted by the BRN were approved by the NPAC prior to the meeting of the full Board on Nov. 16, 2021.
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