(1) Existing federal law requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to designate health professional shortage areas and requires the secretary, in establishing criteria for the designation of those areas, to consider, among other things, the ratio of available health manpower to the number of individuals in an area or population group and indicators of a need for health services, as specified. Existing state law makes references to federally recognized or designated health professional shortage areas in various contexts, including, among others, the California Physician Corps Program, the California Reproductive Health Services Corps, the Oral Health Program, the Virtual Health Hub for Rural Communities Pilot Program, and health professions planning grants.
This bill, until January 1, 2035, would define the term "health professional shortage area" to mean (1) an area determined by the Department of Health Care Access and Information to have a shortage of health professionals, (2) a health professional shortage area designated or recognized by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, or (3) an area designated or recognized as a health professional shortage area by the United States Department of Health and Human Services on January 1, 2025, regardless of whether that area remains designated or recognized by the United States Department of Health and Human Services as a health professional shortage area. For an area determined to be a health professional shortage area by the Department of Health Care Access and Information, the bill would authorize the department to revoke that designation.
(2) Existing law requires specified boards, including the Board of Registered Nursing and the Respiratory Care Board of California, to collect certain workforce data from their respective licensees and registrants for future workforce planning at least biennially. Existing law requires other boards that regulate healing arts licensees or registrants to request workforce data from their respective licensees and registrants for future workforce planning at least biennially. Existing law requires the workforce data collected or requested to include specified information, including, among others, the type of employer or classification of primary practice site, as specified. Existing law prohibits a licensee or registrant from being required to provide the information as a condition for license or registration renewal and prohibits licensees or registrants from being subject to discipline for not providing the information. Existing law requires the boards and the Department of Health Care Access and Information to maintain the confidentiality of licensee and registrant information collected pursuant to these provisions and authorizes release of the information only in aggregate form. Existing law requires each board to provide individual licensee and registrant data to the Department of Health Care Access and Information on a quarterly basis, as specified.
This bill would require the workforce data to be collected or requested by boards at the time a license or registration is issued. The bill would require the information collected or requested by boards to also include, among other things, the hours worked in inpatient care, hours worked in outpatient care, and whether the licensee or registrant offers a formal sliding fee scale. The bill would instead require each board to provide licensee and registrant data on a monthly basis.
(3) Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.
This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.

Statutes affected:
AB1811: 128552 HSC
02/10/26 - Introduced: 128552 HSC
03/19/26 - Amended Assembly: 128552 HSC
06/22/26 - Amended Senate: 502 BPC, 502 BPC
AB 1811: 128552 HSC