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SB 1311

Licensed professions.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Aisha Wahab

SB 1311 modernizes training and licensing rules across professions, including infection control for unlicensed dental assistants and a phased, capped Mexican physician licensing pr

Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
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Bill Summary · SB 1311

Overview

SB 1311, introduced by Senator Wahab in the 2025-2026 California session and amended March 26, 2026, updates provisions across several licensed professions and related boards. The bill contains multiple substantive changes to the Dental Practice Act, the Licensed Physicians from Mexico Program, the Veterinary Medicine Practice Act, the Private Investigator Act, and related regulatory provisions. It also declares an urgency to take effect immediately.

Main purpose and intent

  • Modernize and clarify infection control training pathways for unlicensed dental assistants.
  • Adjust eligibility windows and operational details for the Licensed Physicians from Mexico Program.
  • Enhance governance and composition provisions for the California Veterinary Medical Board.
  • Introduce a streamlined, contract-focused exception in the Private Investigator Act.
  • Ensure timely implementation with an urgency clause.

Key provisions and changes

  1. Dentistry – infection control for unlicensed dental assistants (Sections 1750 and 1755)
  2. Allows an unlicensed dental assistant to satisfy infection control requirements by taking the Dental Assisting National Board’s Infection Control examination, instead of an 8-hour board-approved course.
  3. Alternatively, permits an infection control course with at least 4 hours of didactic instruction and at least 2 hours of laboratory instruction delivered via video tools (or equivalent), approved by the board or through recognized CE providers (ADA, AGD, etc.).
  4. Requires employers to verify infection control training or examination before unlicensed assistants perform basic procedures with exposure to potentially infectious materials (instead of a strict 8-hour course).

  5. Maintains ongoing documentation requirements for employers (evidence of certification and continued compliance).

  6. Licensed Physicians from Mexico Program – application windows and licensing (Section 2125)

  7. Creates and expands the Licensed Physicians from Mexico Program, issuing nonrenewable three-year licenses to qualified physicians from Mexico.

  8. Outlines eligibility, including licensing in Mexico, English proficiency, orientation, and specific onboarding requirements (UNAM interview, etc.).

  9. Imposes continuing education: 25 hours/year for three years, with audits and possible penalties for noncompliance.

  10. Sets up a structured, phased cap on participants over time, with explicit quotas by specialty (psychiatry caps) and rolling application windows:
    2025-2029: up to 155 licenses, with no more than 30 psychiatry licenses.
    2029-2033: up to 195 licenses, with no more than 40 psychiatry licenses.
    2033-2037: up to 225 licenses, with no more than 40 psychiatry licenses.
    2037-2041: up to 255 licenses, with no more than 40 psychiatry licenses.
    2041-2045: up to 275 licenses, with no more than 40 psychiatry licenses.

  11. Requires visa and legal-work documentation, hospital/clinic placement settings, and credentialing alignment with federal and state programs.

  12. Veterinary Medicine Practice Act – board composition and technician education (Sections 4801, 4802, 4841.5)

  13. Adds an additional registered veterinary technician member to the California Veterinary Medical Board; specifies residency and qualification requirements for board members.

  14. Updates education requirements for registered veterinary technicians to include accreditation by a California public school, and aligns criteria with AVMA/BPPE standards.

  15. Maintains existing governance structures while enhancing eligibility criteria.

  16. Private Investigator Act – master service agreements (Section 7524)

  17. Exempts master agreements for frequently contracted services from the start/finish date requirement if the contract already includes beginning and termination dates.

  18. Keeps other writing, scope, and delivery requirements for initial and amended agreements in place.

  19. Urgency and effective date

  20. The measure is an urgency statute, taking immediate effect to address infection-control training access, Mexico-physician licensing timelines, and other regulatory updates.

Affected groups and impacts

  • Unlicensed dental assistants and dental offices: greater flexibility in infection control training; potential easing of access to workforce in remote areas.
  • Physicians from Mexico and federally qualified health centers: a structured pathway with defined caps, ongoing education, and enhanced peer review/QA obligations.
  • Veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and veterinary boards: revised board composition and technician credentialing standards.
  • Private investigators and clients: clarified contract requirements for service agreements.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • Multiple sections amended in the Business and Professions Code.
  • Urgency statute: immediate effect upon enactment.
  • For the Mexico program, rolling annual or multi-year caps with specific application windows and potential adjustments.

This summary captures the bill’s substantive changes and their expected practical effects on licensing, training, and inter-agency governance in California.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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