California Senate Bill 1311
Session 20252026
Licensed professions.
Became Law
Became Law on Sep 14, 2026
Origin Chamber
Senate
Type
Bill
Bill Number
1311
State
California
Session
20252026
Motion Text
Special Consent (Urgency Clause)
Senate Roll Call Votes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Summary
(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.
02/20/26 - Introduced
February 20, 2026
03/26/26 - Amended Senate
March 26, 2026
07/01/26 - Amended Assembly
July 1, 2026
08/30/26 - Enrolled
August 30, 2026
09/14/26 - Chaptered
September 14, 2026
03/20/26- Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development
March 20, 2026
04/14/26- Sen. Floor Analyses
April 14, 2026
06/26/26- Assembly Business and Professions
June 26, 2026
08/03/26- Assembly Appropriations
August 3, 2026
08/07/26- ASSEMBLY FLOOR ANALYSIS
August 7, 2026
08/24/26- Sen. Floor Analyses
August 24, 2026
Sort by most recent
09/14/2026
California State Legislature
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 232, Statutes of 2026.
09/14/2026
California State Legislature
Approved by the Governor.
08/31/2026
California State Legislature
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 6 p.m.
08/27/2026
Senate
Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 39. Noes 0.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
08/26/2026
Senate
Ordered to special consent calendar.
08/24/2026
Senate
In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
08/24/2026
Assembly
Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 6377.) Ordered to the Senate.
08/06/2026
Assembly
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
08/05/2026
Assembly
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (August 5).
07/01/2026
Assembly
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
06/30/2026
Assembly
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 17. Noes 0.) (June 30).
05/26/2026
Assembly
Referred to Com. on B. & P.
05/19/2026
Assembly
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
05/18/2026
Senate
Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 4303.) Ordered to the Assembly.
04/14/2026
Senate
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
04/13/2026
Senate
From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.
04/02/2026
Senate
Set for hearing April 13.
03/26/2026
Senate
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
03/25/2026
Senate
From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0. Page 3638.) (March 23).
03/16/2026
Senate
Set for hearing March 23.
03/04/2026
Senate
Referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D.
02/23/2026
Senate
Read first time.
02/23/2026
Senate
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 23.
02/20/2026
Senate
Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
Sources
Record Created
Feb 21, 2026 8:55:49 AM
Record Updated
Sep 16, 2026 9:26:35 AM