| from: The Council of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Associations |
| Advocates for excellence in traditional and modern oriental medicine |
| http://www.acucouncil.org/ca_legislation.htm |
| Assembly Bill 1943 (Chu) - Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Education |
| Senator Figueroa has failed to assign a hearing date for AB 1943 in the Senate Business and Professions Committee, which she chairs! The last day for the bill to be heard in her committee is June 24, unless a special rule waiver is made! We need to convince her and her committee members to let the bill be heard! |
| Action: Call and write letters of support now! 2 easy steps: |
| Step 1: Write a letter of support to Senator Figueroa on your association / office letterhead. |
| Fax to Judy Chu at 916-319-2149 (her staff will deliver it to Senator Figueroa) |
| Fax a copy to CAOMA at 800-388-2928 (or by email). (See the sample letter attached.) |
| Step 2: Contact the list of Senate Business & Professions Committee Members below. If you live or work near those cities, call and fax them, asking them to support AB 1943. If you know someone who lives or works near those cities, ask them to call and fax letters of support for AB 1943. Ask the senators to make sure the bill is heard at the committee hearing on June 24! |
| More contact info for Judy Chu: |
| Comment to Judy Chu on AB 1943: |
| http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/legcomment/legcomment.asp?bill_number=ab_1943&author=chu |
| Write an email note to Assembly Member Judy Chu: http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a49/contacts.htm |
| ============================================== |
| Senate Business & Professions Committee Members (7) |
| Tel (916) 445-445-3435 Fax (916) 327-2433 |
| Liz Figueroa (Chair) |
| 43271 Mission Blvd. |
| Fremont, CA 94539 |
| Tel: (510) 413-5960 |
| Fax: (510) 413-5965 |
| Maurice Johannessen (Vice Chair) |
| 1170 N. Lincoln St., Suite 106 |
| Dixon, CA 95620 |
| Tel : (707) 678-3195 |
| Fax: (916) 445-7750 |
| Michael Machado |
| 31 E Channel St., #440 |
| Stockton, CA 95202 |
| Tel: (209) 948-7930 |
| Fax: (209) 948-7993 |
| Bill Morrow |
| 2755 Jefferson St., #101 |
| Carlsbad, CA 92008 |
| Tel : (760) 434-7930 |
| Fax: (760) 434-8223 |
| Kevin Murray |
| 600 Corporate Pointe, #1020 |
| Culver City, CA 90230 |
| Tel: (310) 641-4391 |
| Fax: (310) 641-4395 |
| Jack O'Connell |
| 228 W. Carrillo, Suite F |
| Santa Barbara, CA 93101 |
| Tel: (805) 966-2296 |
| Fax (805) 966-3707 |
| Richard G. Polanco |
| 300 S Spring Street #8710 |
| Los Angeles, CA 90013 |
| Tel: (213) 620-2529 |
| Fax: (213) 617-0077 |
| Thank you for your support of our profession, |
| Brian C. Fennen, L.Ac, OBT |
| Executive Director |
| =============================================== |
| Sample Support Letter - AB 1943 |
| June 12, 2002 |
| Senator Liz Figueroa |
| Chair, Senate Business and Professions Committee |
| State Capitol, Room 2053. |
| Sacramento, CA 95814 |
| Re: AB 1943 (Chu) - Acupuncturist Education - Support as Amended |
| Dear Senator Figueroa and Committee Members: |
| I support Assembly Bill 1943, because it will require standardization of existing and future acupuncture and oriental medicine training programs. Too many of our schools are requiring hundreds of extra hours of widely varying subject matter. I am very concerned that they are becoming "diploma mills," and not teaching a proper balance of science, theory, and the practical skills of oriental medicine and general health care. I am dismayed that some schools may not be correcting the weaknesses in their educational programs that the profession has identified. I truly want to know that when I refer a patient to another acupuncturist, they will receive a similar standard of care and treatment that they would receive at my office. I think the schools could do better, especially with the passage of this legislation. |
| Assembly Bill 1943 will: |
|
Set education standard for licensed acupuncturists to 3,000 hours for students entering after January 1, 2004. This is less hours than most schools are already teaching. |
|
Confirm the Legislature’s intent to raise education standard for licensed acupuncturists to 4,000 hours by 2010, the same number of hours that accredited doctoral programs are required to teach by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and less than schools in China and Korea require. |
|
Increase the amount of continuing education that current acupuncturists will be required to attend over the next ten years. |
| Please support this important legislation to help student consumers of education and patient consumer of medical care. |
| Sincerely, |
| Dr. You, OMD, LAc |
| cc: Assembly Member Judy Chu |
| Council of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Associations |
| Fax to: (800) 388-2928 - CAOMA |
| ================================== |
| Current Status of Legislation |
| AB 1943 (Chu) Acupuncturist Training Programs |
| May 29, 2002 - AB 1943 passed the Assembly Floor 61-16, and should be heard in the Senate Business and Professions Committee on June 24. AB 1943 establishes new curriculum standards for programs in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine to 3,000 hours in 2004, 4000 hours in 2010, and requires additional continuing education for existing practitioners to take |
| over ten years, to be determined by the Acupuncture Board. Sponsored by CAOMA. |
| Submitted replacement for Section 3 of AB1943, removing the 450 CE hours: |
| SEC. 3. Section 4945 (f) of the Business and Professions Code, is amended to read: |
| 4945. (f) An acupuncturist licensed prior to January 1, 2003, shall complete additional continuing education courses in the practice of an acupuncturist, as specified by the board, by January 1, 2013, in order to renew his or her license. |
| SB 573 (Burton) Insurance Coverage for Acupuncture |
| June 4, 2002 - SB 573 is assigned to the Assembly Health Committee, where it will may be placed on hold, along with other insurance "mandate" bills. Senate Bill 573 requires health care insurance plans to offer acupuncture coverage. Sponsored by CAOMA. |
| SB 1705 (Burton) Disability Evaluation |
| May 16, 2002 - SB 1705 passed the Senate Floor 21-12, is in the Assembly Insurance Committee, and will be heard on June 26. SB 1705 specifies that acupuncturists must complete supplemental educational standards and pass a regular exam given by the Industrial Medical Council in order to become a Qualified Medical Evaluator, with full privileges and responsibilities in the Workers Compensation system, including performing disability evaluations. Sponsored by CAOMA. |
| SB 1750 (Spieir) Ephedra Labeling |
| May 23 - SB 1750 passed the Senate Floor and will be heard in the Assembly Health Committee on June 25. SB 1750 would require labeling and sales restrictions for certain dietary supplements, including ephedra (ma huang). CAOMA has taken an "oppose unless amended" position to allow acupuncturists to continue to prescribe herb formulas in a traditional manner. |
| SB 1951 (Figueroa) Acupuncture Board Changes |
| May 29, 2002 - SB 1951 passed the Senate Floor 33-3 and will be heard in the Assembly Business and Professions Committee on June 18. SB 1951 changes the composition of the Acupuncture Board, and allows the Department of Consumer Affairs to use licensing fees to hire a consultant to review the scope of practice, educational standards, licensing exam, and the school approval process. CAOMA has taken an "oppose unless amended" position on SB 1951. |
| SB 2019 (Speier) Student Loans |
| June 11, 2002 - SB 2019 will be heard in the Assembly Business and Professions Committee on June 18. SB 2019 would authorize a licensing board or agency having jurisdiction over a licensee, to cite and fine, and deny a license or license renewal to a licensed health care practitioner who is in default on a US DHHS education loan or service obligation or on a loan made under the Federal Family Education Loan Program. CAOMA and other concerned interests succeeded in getting the bill amended. |
| Medi-Cal Optional Acupuncture Benefit |
| May 30, 2002 - The Senate and Assembly restored the acupuncture optional benefit to the Governor's budget proposal, thanks to CAOMA testimony and letters of support from the profession. The Senate and Assembly will now convene a conference committee to resolve the differences in their respective budgets. The budget conference committee consists of three Senators and three Assembly Members. CAOMA has provided supporting testimony for acupuncture in Medi-Cal. |
| http://www.acucouncil.org/ca_legislation.htm |