Nursing.

Existing law, the Nursing Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of registered nurses. The Board of Registered Nursing, which was repealed on January 1, 2012, administered the provisions of that act. This bill would establish a new Board of Registered Nursing, would vest that board with the same powers as the previous board of the same name, and would require the board to appoint an executive officer. The bill would repeal the authority of the board and its executive officer on January 1, 2016. The bill would require the executive officer of the prior board to serve as interim executive officer of the new board until the appointment of a permanent executive officer, as specified. The bill would also ratify and declare valid a specified interagency agreement entered into between the Board of Registered Nursing and the director of the department and would enact other related provisions. Existing law requires that the board consist of 2 public members and 5 licensees appointed by the Governor, one public member appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, and one public member appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly. Under existing law, all appointments to the board are for a term of 4 years. This bill would require that one of the initial public members appointed by the Governor serve a term of one year, that the other public member initially appointed by the Governor serve a term of 5 years, that the initial licensed members serve terms of 2, 3, or 4 years, as specified, and that the initial public members appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules and the Speaker of the Assembly serve terms of 4 years. The bill would appropriate specified sums from the Board of Registered Nursing Fund to the Board of Registered Nursing for purposes of administering the Nursing Practice Act. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.