Professions and vocations: occupational regulations.

Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of various professions and vocations by boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs and provides that those boards are established for the purpose of ensuring that those private businesses and professions deemed to engage in activities that have potential impact upon the public health, safety, and welfare are adequately regulated in order to protect the people of California. Existing law authorizes a board to deny a license if an applicant has been convicted of a crime, done any act involving dishonesty, fraud, or deceit with intent to substantially benefit himself or herself or another or substantially injure another, or does any act that, if done by a licentiate of the business or profession, would be grounds for suspension or revocation. This bill would establish that a person has a right to engage in a lawful profession or vocation without being subject to an occupational regulation, as defined, that imposes a substantial burden on that right, and would require each occupational regulation to be limited to what is demonstrably necessary and narrowly tailored to fulfill a legitimate public health, safety, or welfare objective. The bill would include within this the right of a person with a criminal record to not have the person's criminal record used by a board as an automatic or mandatory permanent bar to engaging in a lawful profession or vocation, except as specified, and the right of a person who is behind on his or her taxes or student loan payments to not have a board use that fact as an automatic or mandatory permanent bar to engaging in a lawful profession or vocation. The bill would authorize a person to petition a board to review an occupational regulation, as defined, within the board's jurisdiction for compliance with the above rights, as specified. The bill would authorize a person with a criminal record to petition a board at any time for a determination of whether the person's criminal record will automatically disqualify the person from obtaining a license from the board and would specify the criteria a board is allowed to use in making that determination. The bill would include related definitions and declare the intent of the Legislature in this regard.