CaliforniaCalifornia keeps more areas eligible under health worker shortage rules
California broadens which areas count as short of health professionals through 2034 and changes when licensing boards gather and share workforce data.
What it does
State law counts current federal shortage areas, areas recognized on January 1, 2025, and areas the state health department identifies as short of health professionals.
California licensing boards must collect or request workforce information when issuing licenses and at least every two years after that. The speech and hearing board has a delay for initial requests until July 1, 2027.
Boards must gather workers’ inpatient and outpatient hours and whether they offer a fee scale that adjusts charges for patients’ ability to pay.
Licensing boards must send workers’ individual workforce data to the state health department monthly. The department must protect identities in information it releases.
Argument forKeeping some federally recognized shortage areas on the list could help communities retain access to programs that use shortage-area rules.
Argument againstCollecting sensitive details about workers’ identity, health, and practice could raise privacy concerns, even though boards must protect identities in released information.
More detail
State law treats current federal shortage areas, areas recognized federally on January 1, 2025, and state-identified shortage areas as shortage areas. This definition applies to references to health professional shortage areas in state laws and regulations. The Department of Health Care Access and Information may revoke areas federally recognized on January 1, 2025, or areas it identifies as having a shortage. The definition remains in effect until January 1, 2035, when it is repealed.
Specified boards must collect workforce data, and other healing arts boards must request it, when licenses or registrations are issued and at least every two years. The rule covers professionals licensed or registered by California healing arts boards. Electronic systems collect or request the data at issuance and renewal. Workers do not have to provide the information to renew a license, and cannot be disciplined for not providing it. The speech and hearing board must request the information at issuance beginning July 1, 2027.
Boards must include inpatient and outpatient hours and whether a worker offers a formal sliding fee scale in the workforce information they collect or request. The information concerns health professionals licensed or registered by boards covered by the workforce-data law. The Department of Consumer Affairs, consulting with the Department of Health Care Access and Information, specifies the information each board collects or requests.
Each board must send individual licensee and registrant data to the Department of Health Care Access and Information monthly. This applies to individual data collected under the workforce-data law. The department must keep the information confidential and release it only in a form that cannot identify individuals. Monthly reporting replaces the previous quarterly schedule.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Sep 27Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 549, Statutes of 2026.Latest
- Sep 27Approved by the Governor Gavin Newsom.Became Law
- Sep 10Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.To Governor
- Aug 31
- Vote recorded AB 1811 Rogers Concurrence in Senate Amendments. Result: pass.Lower
- Aug 30Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 6898.).Major
- Vote recorded With recommendation: That Senate amendments be concurred in. Result: pass.Lower
- Aug 30From committee: That the Senate amendments be concurred in. (Ayes 18. Noes 0.) (August 30).Minor
- Aug 27Re-referred to Com. on B. & P. pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.2.Minor
- Aug 27In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
- Aug 26Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0.).Passed Senate
- Vote recorded 3rd Reading AB1811 Rogers et al. By Menjivar. Result: pass.Upper
- Aug 24Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Aug 20Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.Major
- Aug 6Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Aug 6From Consent Calendar.
- Aug 4Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.Minor
- Aug 3From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar.Minor
- Jul 2From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (July 1). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Jul 1
- Vote recorded Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar. Result: pass.Upper
- Jun 22From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.Major
- May 27Referred to Com. on HEALTH.Minor
- May 14In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.Minor
- Vote recorded AB 1811 Rogers Consent Calendar Second Day. Result: pass.Lower
- May 14Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 77. Noes 0. Page 5054.)Passed Assembly
- May 7Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.Minor
- May 6From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (May 6).Minor
- Vote recorded Do pass. To Consent Calendar. Result: pass.Lower
- Apr 22From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (April 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Apr 21
- Vote recorded Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 23Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.Minor
- Mar 19From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. Read second time and amended.Major
- Mar 19Referred to Com. on HEALTH.Minor
- Feb 11From printer. May be heard in committee March 13.
- Feb 10Read first time. To print.Introduced
HealthcareGovernment & EthicsPublic Safety