SB1311 - Licensed professions.

Amended IN Assembly July 01, 2026 Amended IN Senate March 26, 2026 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Senate Bill No. 1311 Introduced by Senator Wahab February 20, 2026 An act to amend Sections 1750, 1755, 2125, 4801, 4802, 4841.5, and 7524 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to licensed professions, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 1311, as amended, Wahab. Licensed professions. (1) The Dental Practice Act establishes the Dental Board of California to license and regulate the practice of dentistry. Existing law requires the board to license and regulate dental auxiliaries, including, among others, dental assistants, as defined, and sets forth duties and functions that those dental auxiliaries are authorized to perform. Existing law requires an unlicensed dental assistant not enrolled in a board-approved program for registered dental assisting or an alternative dental assisting program to complete an infection control certification course, as specified. In this regard, existing law allows the unlicensed dental assistant to complete a board-approved 8-hour course, with 6 hours being didactic instruction and 2 hours being laboratory instruction, as specified. This bill would allow an unlicensed dental assistant to complete the Dental Assisting National Board’s Infection Control examination instead of completing an infection control course. The bill would also revise the requirements for those infection control courses to allow an unlicensed dental assistant to complete one of specified courses approved by the board or a course with at least 4 hours of didactic instruction and at least 2 hours of laboratory instruction using video or a series of video training tools, as specified. Existing law makes the employer of a dental assistant responsible for ensuring that the dental assistant has successfully completed a board-approved 8-hour course in infection control before performing any basic supportive dental procedures involving potential exposure to blood, saliva, or other potentially infectious material. This bill would instead require the employer to ensure the dental assistant has successfully completed a course or examination in infection control, as described above, before performing those procedures. (2) Existing law establishes the Licensed Physicians from Mexico Program under which the Medical Board of California is required to issue a physician and surgeon’s license to a licensed physician from Mexico who meets specific education, language, experience, and other requirements. Existing law limits the number of program applicants and the dates they may apply. This bill would make changes to those application deadlines, requiring applicants for the program to submit an application to the board between October 1, 2025, and July 1, 2026, and authorizing the board to accept up to 15 applications after July 1, 2026, and before January 1, 2028. (3) The Veterinary Medicine Practice Act establishes the California Veterinary Medical Board to license and regulate veterinarians, veterinarian technicians, and the practice of veterinary medicine. Under existing law, the board is composed of 9 members, of which 4 are licensed veterinarians, 2 are registered veterinary technicians, and 3 are public members. Existing law requires the Governor to appoint the 4 veterinarian members, one registered veterinary technician member, and one public member to the board. Under existing law, the Senate Committee on Rules and the Speaker of the Assembly each appoint a public member. The act also specifies the educational requirements, among other requirements, to become a registered veterinary technician. This bill would require the Governor to appoint the additional registered veterinary technician member to the board and would make nonsubstantive changes to provisions relating to the board. The bill would modify the educational requirements to become a registered veterinary technician to include education accredited by a California public school, as specified. (4) The Private Investigator Act provides for the licensure and regulation of private investigators by the Director of Consumer Affairs and requires an agreement to provide a service under the act to be in writing and contain, among other things, the approximate start and completion dates of the work to be provided. Under this bill, a master agreement for frequently contracted services over a specified period of time would be exempt from the above-described requirement to include the approximate start and completion dates of the work, if the agreement includes the beginning and termination dates. (5) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute. Digest Key Vote: 2/3 Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section 1750 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read: 1750. (a) A dental assistant is an individual who, without a license, may perform basic supportive dental procedures, as authorized by Section 1750.1 and by regulations adopted by the board, under the supervision of a licensed dentist. “Basic supportive dental procedures” are those procedures that have technically elementary characteristics, are completely reversible, and are unlikely to precipitate potentially hazardous conditions for the patient being treated. (b) The supervising licensed dentist shall be directly responsible for determining the competency of the dental assistant to perform the basic supportive dental procedures, as authorized by Section 1750.1. (c) The employer of a dental assistant shall be responsible for ensuring that the dental assistant has successfully completed an infection control course or examination in accordance with subdivision (b) of Section 1755 prior to performing any basic supportive dental procedures involving potential exposure to blood, saliva, or other potentially infectious materials. (d) The employer shall maintain evidence for the length of the employment for the dental assistant at the supervising dentist’s treatment facility to verify the dental assistant has met and maintained all certification requirements as dictated by statute and regulation. (e) The employer shall inform the dental assistant of the educational requirements described in subdivision (f) to maintain employment as an unlicensed dental assistant. (f) The employer of a dental assistant shall be responsible for ensuring that the dental assistant who has been employed continuously or on an intermittent basis by that employer for one year from the date of first employment provides evidence to the employer that the dental assistant has already successfully completed, or successfully completes, all of the following within one year of the first date of employment: (1) A board-approved two-hour course in the Dental Practice Act. (2) Current certification in basic life support issued by the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, the American Safety and Health Institute, the American Dental Association’s Continuing Education Recognition Program, or the Academy of General Dentistry’s Program Approval for Continuing Education, in accordance with both of the following: (A) The dental assistant shall be responsible for maintaining current certification in basic life support to perform duties involving patients. (B) The employer of a dental assistant shall be responsible for ensuring that the dental assistant maintains certification in basic life support. (3) To perform radiographic procedures, a dental assistant shall complete a board-approved course in radiation safety. The original or a copy of the current, valid certificate issued by a board-approved radiation safety course provider shall be publicly displayed at the treatment facility where the dental assistant performs dental services. (4) To perform coronal polishing prior to licensure as a registered dental assistant, an unlicensed dental assistant shall complete a board-approved coronal polishing course and obtain a certificate of completion. Prior to taking the coronal polishing course, the dental assistant shall provide evidence to the course provider of having completed a board-approved eight-hour course in infection control and a current, valid certification in basic life support. (A) Coronal polishing performed pursuant to this paragraph shall be performed under the direct supervision and pursuant to the order, control, and full professional responsibility of a licensed dentist, who shall, at minimum, evaluate each patient after coronal polishing procedures are performed by the dental assistant. (B) The original or a copy of the current, valid certificate issued by a board-approved coronal polishing course provider shall be publicly displayed at the treatment facility where the dental assistant performs dental services. SEC. 2. Section 1755 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read: 1755. (a) A course in infection control is one that has as its main purpose providing theory and clinical application in infection control practices and principles where the protection of the public is its primary focus. (b) An unlicensed dental assistant not enrolled in a board-approved program for registered dental assisting or an alternative dental assisting program as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 1741, shall successfully complete either the Dental Assisting National Board’s Infection Control examination or one of the following infection control certification courses: (1) A board-approved eight-hour infection control course provided by a board-approved registered dental assisting education program. (2) A board-approved eight-hour infection control course pursuant to Section 1070.6 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations. (3) (A) Notwithstanding Sections 1070, 1070.1, and 1070.6 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations, a course with at least four hours of didactic instruction, as described in subdivision (e), and at least two hours of laboratory instruction using video or a series of video training tools, all of which may be delivered using asynchronous, synchronous, or online learning mechanisms or a combination thereof, offered by the California Dental Association or a provider approved by the California Dental Association, the American Dental Association’s Continuing Education Recognition Program, or the Academy of General Dentistry’s Program Approval for Continuing Education. (B) For purposes of this paragraph, “laboratory instruction” means instruction in which students perform procedures using study models, mannequins, or other simulation methods. (c) A course shall establish specific instructional objectives. Instruction shall provide the content necessary for students to make safe and ethical judgments regarding infection control and asepsis. (d) Objective evaluation criteria shall be used for measuring student progress. Students shall be provided with specific performance objectives and the evaluation criteria that will be used for didactic testing. (e) Didactic instruction shall include, at a minimum, all of the following as they relate to Cal/OSHA regulations, as set forth in Sections 300 to 344.85, inclusive, of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations, and the board’s Minimum Standards for Infection Control, as set forth in Section 1005 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations: (1) Basic dental science and microbiology as they relate to infection control in dentistry. (2) Legal and ethical aspects of infection control procedures. (3) Terms and protocols specified in Section 1005 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations regarding the minimum standards for infection control. (4) Principles of modes of disease transmission and prevention. (5) Principles, techniques, and protocols of hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, surface barriers and disinfection, sterilization, sanitation, and hazardous chemicals associated with infection control. (6) Principles and protocols of sterilizer monitoring and the proper loading, unloading, storage, and transportation of instruments to work area. (7) Principles and protocols associated with sharps management. (8) Principles and protocols of infection control for laboratory areas. (9) Principles and protocols of waterline maintenance. (10) Principles and protocols of regulated and nonregulated waste management. (11) Principles and protocols related to injury and illness prevention, hazard communication, general office safety, exposure control, postexposure requirements, and monitoring systems for radiation safety and sterilization systems. (f) Upon successful completion of the course, students shall receive a certificate of completion as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 1741. (g) The board may adopt regulations to implement this section. SEC. 3. Section 2125 of the Business and Professions Code is amended to read: 2125. (a) For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply: (1) “Board” means the Medical Board of California. (2) “Program” means the Licensed Physicians from Mexico Program. (b) (1) The Licensed Physicians from Mexico Program is hereby created. (2) The board shall approve physician candidates from Mexico for program participation. (c) (1) This program extends the physician component of the Licensed Physicians and Dentists from Mexico Pilot Program, as established in former Section 853, which authorized up to 30 licensed physicians specializing in family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology from Mexico to practice medicine in California for a period not to exceed three years. (2) The program shall also maintain an alternate list of program participants. (d) The board shall issue a nonrenewable three-year physician’s and surgeon’s license to each licensed physician from Mexico who meets the criteria set forth in this section. (e) Each physician from Mexico, to be eligible to participate in this program, shall comply with all of the following: (1) Be licensed, certified or recertified, and in good standing in their medical specialty in Mexico. This certification or recertification shall be performed, as appropriate, by the Consejo Mexicano de Ginecología y Obstetricia, A.C., the Consejo Mexicano de Certificación en Medicina Familiar, A.C., the Consejo Mexicano de Medicina Interna, A.C., the Consejo Mexicano de Certificación en Pediatría, A.C., or the Consejo Mexicano de Psiquiatría, A.C. (2) The board shall submit to the Department of Justice fingerprint images and related information required by the Department of Justice of all applicants for a physician’s and surgeon’s license, as defined by this section, to determine whether the applicant has a criminal conviction record in this state or in any other jurisdiction, including foreign countries, pursuant to Se [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]