AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 2, 2025

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 13, 2025

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

96

Introduced by Assembly Member Elhawary

(Coauthor: Assembly Member Lowenthal)

February 18, 2025

An act to add and repeal Section 115.7 of the Business and Professions Code, relating to professions and vocations.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

Existing law establishes the Department of Consumer Affairs, which is composed of specified boards that license and regulate various professions. Existing law requires those boards to expedite the licensure process for an applicant who holds a current license in another jurisdiction in the same profession or vocation and supplies evidence that they are married to or in a domestic partnership or other legal union with an active duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States who is assigned to a duty station in this state under official active duty military orders.

This bill would require those boards to expedite applications for applicants seeking licensure who are descendants of American slaves once a process to certify descendants of American slaves is implemented, as specified.

This bill would make these provisions operative only if SB 518 of the 2025–26 Regular Session is enacted establishing the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery, and would make these provisions operative when the certification process is implemented pursuant to that measure. The bill would repeal these provisions 4 years from the date on which they become operative or on January 1, 2032, whichever is earlier.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 115.7 is added to the Business and Professions Code, to read:

115.7.

(a) Notwithstanding any other law, once the process to certify descendants of American slaves is implemented by the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 15210) of Part 6 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code that confirms an individual’s status as a descendant of an American slave, each board shall expedite applications for applicants seeking licensure who are descendants of American slaves.

(b) This section shall become operative on the date that the certification process for the descendants of American Slaves is implemented by the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 15210) of Part 6 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

(c) This section shall remain in effect only for four years from the date on which this section became operative, or until January 1, 2032, whichever is earlier, and as of that date is repealed.

(d) This section shall become operative only if Senate Bill 518 of the 2025–26 Regular Session is enacted establishing the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery.