CA Gov. Jerry Brown Vetoes Bill to Extend California Nursing Board

Gov. Jerry Brown has pulled the plug — at least temporarily — on the already beleaguered agency that oversees the state's registered nurses by vetoing a bill that would have extended the agency's powers.

The authority of the California Board of Registered Nursing to license and discipline the state's nearly 400,000 registered nurses will expire Jan. 1. The powers would have been extended another four years under a seemingly routine "sunset bill" passed by the Legislature. But Brown vetoed the bill over the weekend, saying he objected to a provision that would have added to the state's pension costs.

The clause classified certain investigators working for the board as peace officers and was intended to speed up the investigations of complaints against nurses by giving the investigators subpoena power and access to criminal records statewide. But it also would have entitled these investigators to more generous pensions.

In his veto message, Brown wrote, "This makes no sense fiscally and flies in the face of much needed pension reform…The Board has existed for 106 years without these enhanced benefits and should continue to do so."

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Brown Vetoes Bill to Extend California Nursing Board