Plain English Breakdown
The official status shows the bill passed but was re-referred on March 17, 2026. The effective date is listed as empty in the metadata.
AB-2668: Acupuncture License Requirements and Title Protection
This law updates agency names, requires acupuncture schools to offer a doctoral degree starting in 2032 with increased training hours, and restricts the use of specific professional titles.
What This Bill Does
- Updates laws to reflect the transfer of the Department of Consumer Affairs to the Business and Consumer Services Agency.
- Requires approved acupuncture programs on or after January 1, 2032, to offer a curriculum that confers a doctoral degree in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.
- Increases required training hours for new programs from at least 3,000 to not less than 3,300 total hours.
- Sets minimums of 2,220 classroom and lab hours plus 1,080 clinical hours under the new rules starting in 2032.
- Applies existing restrictions on using 'Doctor' or 'Dr.' to also include the title 'Doctor of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine' (D.A.H.M.).
- Prohibits anyone from using the title 'licensed acupuncturist' or the abbreviation 'LAc' without a valid, unrevoked, and unsuspended license.
Who It Names or Affects
- Schools and colleges that train acupuncture students.
- People applying for an acupuncture license who enter programs on or after January 1, 2032.
- Acupuncturists using professional titles in their practice.
- The Acupuncture Board within the Business and Consumer Services Agency.
Terms To Know
- Didactic training
- Classroom or lecture-based learning that happens outside of patient care settings, as defined in existing law.
- Supervised clinical instruction
- Hands-on practice with patients under the watch of a qualified instructor, required by current and future laws.
- Doctoral degree in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine
- The advanced academic credential that schools must offer starting January 1, 2032.
Limits and Unknowns
- The new education requirements only apply to programs on or after January 1, 2032.
- The bill does not specify how existing students currently in school will transition before the deadline.
- The official text provided does not include an effective date for when this law becomes active.