SB 1139: Health professionals: medical degree programs: healing arts residency training programs: undocumented immigrants: nonimmigrant aliens: scholarships, loans, and loan repayment.

(1)Existing law, known as the Medical Practice Act, provides for licensing and regulation of physicians and surgeons by the Medical Board of California and imposes various requirements in that regard. Existing law requires an applicant for a license as a physician and surgeon to successfully complete a specified medical curriculum, a clinical instruction program, and a training program. Existing law provides that nothing in the Medical Practice Act shall be construed to prohibit a foreign medical graduate from engaging in the practice of medicine whenever and wherever required as part of a clinical service program, subject to certain conditions.

This bill would prohibit a student, including a person without lawful immigration status, a person who is exempt from nonresident tuition pursuant to a specified statute, or a person who fits into both of those categories, who meets the requirements for admission to a medical degree program at any public or private postsecondary educational institution that offers such a program from being denied admission to that program based on his or her citizenship status or immigration status. The bill would also prohibit such a student from being denied admission, based on his or her citizenship status or immigration status, to a healing arts residency training program whose participants are not paid. These provisions would not apply, except as provided, to a nonimmigrant alien, as defined in a specified provision of federal law.

(2)Existing law establishes the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development and makes the office responsible for administering various programs with respect to the health care professions.

This bill would prohibit specified programs administered by the office from denying an application based on the citizenship status or immigration status of the applicant.