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SB-1303 • 2026

Naturopathic Doctors Act.

Naturopathic Doctors Act.

Healthcare
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Wahab
Last action
2026-04-15
Official status
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Naturopathic Doctors Act

The Naturopathic Doctors Act updates the rules for licensing and regulating naturopathic doctors in California, including changes to board appointments, license fees, and fictitious name permits.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes when certain parts of the current law about naturopathic doctors will end (from January 1, 2027 to January 1, 2031).
  • Sets rules for how long board members serve and makes sure their terms don't all end at once.
  • Adjusts fees for renewing active and inactive licenses.
  • Allows naturopathic doctors to cancel their license if they want to without facing punishment.
  • Adds rules about using fake names in ads or signs, requiring a permit from the California Board of Naturopathic Medicine.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Naturopathic doctors and the board that regulates them.

Terms To Know

naturopathic doctor
A type of healthcare provider who uses natural methods to treat illness.
fictitious-name permit
A special permission needed to use a fake name in business or advertising.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not say exactly when it will take effect.
  • It removes some older rules about licensing for doctors who graduated before 1986.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-15 California Legislative Information

    From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D.

  2. 2026-04-15 California Legislative Information

    Set for hearing April 20.

  3. 2026-03-04 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D.

  4. 2026-02-23 California Legislative Information

    Read first time.

  5. 2026-02-23 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 23.

  6. 2026-02-20 California Legislative Information

    Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 1303, as amended, Wahab.
Naturopathic Doctors Act.
Existing law, the Naturopathic Doctors Act, which is repealed on January 1, 2027, establishes the California Board of Naturopathic Medicine within the Department of Consumer Affairs to license and regulate naturopathic doctors. The act requires the board to consist of 9 members, appointed by the Governor, Speaker of the Assembly, or the Senate Committee on Rules, as specified, and requires each member of the board be appointed to a 4-year term.
This bill
would instead repeal those provisions on January 1, 2031. The bill
would specify that the 4-year term expires 4 years after the date of the appointment.
To ensure staggered terms, the bill would require that specified members appointed by the Governor after the effective date of this bill be appointed for prescribed term lengths and thereafter would require all appointments be for four-year terms.
The bill would also make nonsubstantive changes to the provisions specifying the appointment authorities for the board members.
Existing law sets forth fees associated with the application and renewal of a license, including a renewal fee of $1,000 and authorizing an increase to not more than $1,200.
This bill would, instead, specify that this fee range applies to the renewal of an active license and would require the renewal fee for an inactive license to be one-half of the current renewal fee for an active license. The bill would authorize the board to accept the
voluntary cancellation of a naturopathic doctor’s license, as prescribed, upon the written request of the licensee, provided that the cancellation is not in lieu of an administrative enforcement action.
Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, prohibits use of any fictitious, false, or assumed name by a physician and surgeon or any doctor of podiatric medicine, as specified, in any public communication, advertisement, sign, or announcement of a practice without a fictitious-name permit. Existing law requires the Medical Board of California or the Division of Licensing to issue a fictitious-name permit if the applicant for the permit satisfies certain conditions, including having a name that includes specified designations.
This bill would prohibit the use of any fictitious, false, or assumed name by a naturopathic doctor, as specified, in any public communication, advertisement, sign, or announcement of a practice without a
fictitious-name permit. The bill would require the California Board of Naturopathic Medicine to issue a fictitious-name permit if the applicant for the permit satisfies certain conditions. The bill would require the application fee for a fictitious name permit to be $100 and would require the renewal fee for a fictitious-name permit to be $50.
The Naturopathic Doctors Act authorizes the board to grant a license to an applicant who meets specified requirements, but who graduated before 1986, and passed a state or Canadian Province naturopathic licensing examination, as specified. The act requires that applications under this provision be received no later than December 31, 2007.
This bill would repeal those provisions.

Current Bill Text

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