(a) Except as provided in subdivision (a) of Section 4980.398, each applicant and registrant shall obtain a passing score on a board-administered California law and ethics examination in order to qualify for licensure.
(b) A registrant shall participate in a board-administered California law and ethics examination prior to his or her registration renewal.
(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (b), an applicant who holds a registration eligible for renewal, with an expiration date no later than June 30, 2016, and who applies for renewal of that registration between January 1, 2016, and June 30, 2016, shall, if eligible, be allowed to renew the registration without first participating in the California law and ethics examination. These applicants shall participate in the California law and ethics examination in the next renewal cycle, and shall pass the examination prior to licensure or issuance of a subsequent registration number, as specified in this section.
(d) If an applicant fails the California law and ethics examination, he or she may retake the examination, upon payment of the required fees, without further application except as provided in subdivision (e).
(e) If a registrant fails to obtain a passing score on the California law and ethics examination described in subdivision (a) within his or her renewal period on or after the operative date of this section, he or she shall complete, at a minimum, a 12-hour course in California law and ethics in order to be eligible to participate in the California law and ethics examination. Registrants shall only take the 12-hour California law and ethics course once during a renewal period. The 12-hour law and ethics course required by this section shall be taken through a continuing education provider as specified by the board by regulation, a county, state or governmental entity, or a college or university.
(f) The board shall not issue a subsequent registration number unless the registrant has passed the California law and ethics examination.
(g) Notwithstanding subdivision (f), an applicant who holds or has held a registration, with an expiration date no later than January 1, 2017, and who applies for a subsequent registration number between January 1, 2016, and January 1, 2017, shall, if eligible, be allowed to obtain the subsequent registration number without first passing the California law and ethics examination. These applicants shall pass the California law and ethics examination during the next renewal period or prior to licensure, whichever occurs first.
(h) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2016.
(Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 426, Sec. 38. (SB 800) Effective January 1, 2016.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018