AB1558 - Uniform Emergency Volunteer Health Practitioners Act.

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Assembly Bill No. 1558 Introduced by Assembly Member Arambula January 08, 2026 An act to add Article 7.7 (commencing with Section 8599.5) to Chapter 7 of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code, relating to volunteer emergency services. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1558, as introduced, Arambula. Uniform Emergency Volunteer Health Practitioners Act. Existing law establishes the Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) in the California Health and Human Services Agency to establish planning and implementation guidelines for emergency medical service systems, as specified. The guidelines are required to address, among other things, disaster response, and the authority is required to provide technical assistance to existing agencies, counties, and cities for the purpose of developing the components of emergency medical services systems. The EMSA is required to adopt rules and regulations, approved by the Commission on Emergency Medical Services, in order to carry out its duties. Existing law ratifies, approves, and sets forth the provisions of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, an interstate agreement that provides for mutual assistance between states responding to emergencies and disasters. Under the compact, a person who holds a professional license, certificate, or other permit issued by a state party to the compact is deemed licensed, certified, or permitted by a state requesting assistance to render aid involving that skill to meet a declared emergency or disaster, as specified. Existing federal law establishes the Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP) program to support states and territories in establishing volunteer registration programs for disasters and public health and medical emergencies. Pursuant to the ESAR-VHP program, the EMSA established the Disaster Healthcare Volunteers program to register volunteers in California. Existing federal law also establishes the Medical Reserve Corps to provide for an adequate supply of volunteers in the case of a federal, state, local, or tribal public health emergency, as specified. This bill would enact the Uniform Emergency Volunteer Health Practitioners Act, which would authorize the establishment of additional volunteer registration systems by additional entities. In this regard, the bill would require a registration system to be an ESAR-VHP program or a local unit of the Medical Reserve Corps, as specified, to be designated by the EMSA as a registration system, or to be operated by one of specified types of entities, including, among others, a disaster relief organization, as defined. The bill would require that a registration system be capable of supplying the EMSA with sufficient information concerning whether a volunteer is licensed to provide specified health or veterinary services in another state or territory of the United States and in good standing before that volunteer provides those services in this state while an emergency declaration is in effect, as specified. The bill would establish scope-of-practice standards for a registered volunteer health practitioner. The bill would authorize the EMSA to limit, restrict, or otherwise regulate, among other things, the duration of practice, the geographical areas in which volunteer health practitioners may practice, and any other matters necessary to coordinate the provision of health or veterinary services during the emergency. The bill would authorize the applicable licensing board and the host entity, as defined, to restrict or modify the health or veterinary services that a volunteer health practitioner may provide. The bill would require the EMSA and host entities to coordinate their activities with the Office of Emergency Services, as specified. This bill would exempt a registered volunteer health practitioner from the unauthorized practice provisions for a health or veterinary service unless they have reason to know of an applicable limitation, modification, or restriction or that a similarly licensed practitioner in this state would not be permitted to provide that service. The bill would authorize a health care licensing board to impose administrative sanctions upon a health practitioner licensed in this state for conduct outside of this state in response to an out-of-state emergency, and to impose administrative sanctions upon a practitioner not licensed in this state for conduct in this state in response to an in-state emergency, if certain conditions are met. The bill would also provide that volunteer health practitioners providing services in California shall be considered agents or employees of the state for the purpose of workers’ compensation coverage while performing services in this state or traveling to or from this state for that purpose. The bill would authorize the authority to promulgate rules, after approval by the Commission on Emergency Medical Services, in order to implement the provisions of the Uniform Emergency Volunteer Health Practitioners Act. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Article 7.7 (commencing with Section 8599.5) is added to Chapter 7 of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code, to read: Article 7.7. Uniform Emergency Volunteer Health Practitioners Act 8599.5. This article may be cited as the Uniform Emergency Volunteer Health Practitioners Act. 8599.51. For the purposes of this article, the following terms have the following meanings: (a) “Disaster relief organization” means an entity that provides emergency or disaster relief services that include health or veterinary services provided by volunteer health practitioners and that meets either of the following requirements: (1) It is designated or recognized as a provider of those services pursuant to a disaster response and recovery plan adopted by an agency of the federal government or the Emergency Medical Services Authority. (2) It regularly plans and conducts its activities in coordination with an agency of the federal government or the Emergency Medical Services Authority. (b) “Emergency” means an event or condition that is a state of emergency proclaimed pursuant to Section 8588 or 8625, a local emergency proclaimed pursuant to Section 8630, a health emergency proclaimed pursuant to Section 101080 of the Health and Safety Code, or a state of war. (c) “Emergency declaration” means a proclamation of emergency issued pursuant to Section 8588, 8625, or 8630, a declaration of health emergency pursuant to Section 101080 of the Health and Safety Code, or a declaration of war by the United States. (d) “Emergency Management Assistance Compact” means the interstate compact approved by Congress by Public Law No. 104-321 and ratified in Article 3.7 (commencing with Section 179) of Chapter 1 of Division 1 of Title 1. (e) “Entity” means a person other than an individual. (f) “Health facility” means an entity licensed under the laws of this or another state to provide health or veterinary services. (g) “Health practitioner” means an individual licensed under the laws of this or another state to provide health or veterinary services. (h) “Health services” means the provision of treatment, care, advice, or guidance, or other services, or supplies, related to the health or death of individuals or human populations, to the extent necessary to respond to an emergency, including all of the following: (1) Services or supplies concerning the physical or mental condition or functional status of an individual or affecting the structure or function of the body, including the following: (A) Preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic, rehabilitative, maintenance, or palliative care. (B) Counseling, assessment, procedures, or other services. (2) The sale or dispensing of a drug, a device, equipment, or another item to an individual in accordance with a prescription. (3) Funeral, cremation, cemetery, or other mortuary services. (i) “Host entity” means an entity operating in this state that uses volunteer health practitioners to respond to an emergency. (j) “License” means authorization by a state to engage in health or veterinary services that are unlawful without the authorization. The term includes authorization under the laws of California to provide health or veterinary services based upon a national certification issued by a public or private entity. (k) “Person” means an individual, corporation, business trust, trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, public corporation, government or governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, or any other legal or commercial entity. (l) “Scope of practice” means the extent of the authorization to provide health or veterinary services granted to a health practitioner by a license issued to the practitioner in the state in which the principal part of the practitioner’s services is rendered, including any conditions imposed by the licensing authority in that state. (m) “State” means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. (n) “Veterinary services” means the provision of treatment, care, advice or guidance, or other services or supplies, related to the health or death of an animal or to animal populations, to the extent necessary to respond to an emergency, including all of the following: (1) Diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of an animal disease, injury, or other physical or mental condition by the prescription, administration, or dispensing of vaccine, medicine, surgery, or therapy. (2) Use of a procedure for reproductive management. (3) Monitoring and treatment of animal populations for diseases that have spread or demonstrate the potential to spread to humans. (o) “Volunteer health practitioner” means a health practitioner who provides health or veterinary services, whether or not the practitioner receives compensation for those services. “Volunteer health practitioner” does not include a practitioner who receives compensation pursuant to a preexisting employment relationship with a host entity or affiliate that requires the practitioner to provide health services in this state, unless the practitioner is not a resident of this state and is employed by a disaster relief organization providing services in this state while an emergency declaration is in effect. 8599.52. This article applies to volunteer health practitioners registered with a registration system that complies with Section 8599.54 and who provide health or veterinary services in this state for a host entity while an emergency declaration is in effect. 8599.53. (a) While an emergency declaration is in effect, the Emergency Medical Services Authority may limit, restrict, or otherwise regulate all of the following: (1) The duration of practice by volunteer health practitioners. (2) The geographical areas in which volunteer health practitioners may practice. (3) The types of volunteer health practitioners who may practice. (4) Any other matters necessary to coordinate effectively the provision of health or veterinary services during the emergency. (b) An order issued pursuant to subdivision (a) may take effect immediately, without prior notice or comment, and is not a regulation within the meaning of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3). (c) A host entity that uses volunteer health practitioners to provide health or veterinary services in this state shall do both of the following: (1) Coordinate its activities with the Emergency Medical Services Authority to the extent practicable to provide for the efficient and effective use of volunteer health practitioners. (2) Comply with any laws other than this article relating to the management of emergency health or veterinary services. (d) The Emergency Medical Services Authority shall coordinate its activities under this section with the Office of Emergency Services to ensure that any deployment of volunteer health practitioners is consistent with the standardized emergency management system, established pursuant to Section 8607. 8599.54. (a) To qualify as a volunteer health practitioner registration system, a system shall do all of the following: (1) Accept applications for the registration of volunteer health practitioners before or during an emergency. (2) Include information about the licensure and good standing of health practitioners that is accessible by authorized persons. (3) Be capable of supplying sufficient information about registered volunteer health practitioners to the Emergency Medical Services Authority, or a similar designated agency, in order to allow that authority or agency to confirm the accuracy of information concerning whether a health practitioner is licensed and in good standing before health services or veterinary services are provided under this article. (4) Meet at least one of the following conditions: (A) Be an emergency system for advance registration of volunteer health care practitioners established by a state and funded through the Health Resources and Services Administration under Section 319C-2 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 247d-3b). (B) Be a local unit consisting of trained and equipped emergency response, public health, and medical personnel formed pursuant to Section 2813 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 300hh-15). (C) Be operated by one of the following: (i) A disaster relief organization. (ii) A licensing board or bureau established pursuant to Division 2 (commencing with Section 500) of, or Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 7600) of Division 3 of, the Business and Professions Code. (iii) A national, state, or regional association of licensing boards or health practitioners. (iv) A health facility that provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient health care services, including a tertiary care and teaching hospital. (v) A governmental entity. (D) Be designated by the Emergency Medical Services Authority as a registration system for purposes of this article. (b) While an emergency declaration is in effect, the Emergency Medical Services Authority, a person authorized to act on behalf of the authority, or a host entity may confirm whether volunteer health practitioners utilized in this state are registered with a registration system that complies with subdivision (a). Confirmation is limited to obtaining identities of the practitioners from the system and determining whether the system indicates that the practitioners are licensed and in good standing. (c) Upon request of a person in this state authorized to manage the emergency response, or a similarly authorized person in another state, a registration system locate [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]