AB 2773 California Assembly · 2025-2026 Regular Session

California Board of Occupational Therapy: licensing: fees.

Summary

Existing law, the Occupational Therapy Practice Act, establishes the California Board of Occupational Therapy for the licensure and regulation of the practice of occupational therapy. Existing law requires the board to meet and hold at least one regular meeting annually in the Cities of Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Existing law repeals the provisions establishing the board on January 1, 2027, and, upon the repeal of those provisions, renders the board subject to review by the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature. This bill would extend the provision establishing the board to January 1, 2031, and would, instead, require the board to meet at least 3 times a year, meeting at least once each calendar year in northern California and once each calendar year in southern California. This bill would require an applicant or licensee to provide the board with their electronic mail address and would require the board to remind licensees and applicants of their obligation to report and keep current their electronic mail address, as provided. Existing law requires the board to establish certain fees, which are deposited into the Occupational Therapy Fund, including a limited permit fee. This bill would limit the limited permit fee to $125 and would require the board to establish a license fee for a pocket card, a duplicate wall certificate, and a letter of good standing, endorsements, or verification of licensure, as provided. Existing law specifies that the Occupational Therapy Practice Act does not prevent or restrict the practice, services, or activities of, among others, any person pursuing a supervised course of study leading to a degree or certificate in occupational therapy at an accredited education program, as provided. This bill would require the educational program to be accredited by the American Occupational Therapy Association's Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) . The bill would specify that these provisions do not prevent or restrict the practice, services, or activities of any person completing a supervised entry-level doctoral capstone experience, as provided.

Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Aug 2026

Assembly Passage

May 2026

Senate Passage

Aug 2026

Governor

Introduced Feb 23, 2026 Last action Aug 28, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

08/26/26 - Enrolled → AB2773 · 1 edit

MINOR

No substantive policy changes occurred between these two versions. The difference is entirely presentational: the first version is the formal enrolled legislative document with traditional formatting (chapter heading, page numbers, governor's receipt block), while the second version is a web page rendering of the same bill text with navigation menus, search tools, and a different layout. The actual statutory language in all four sections is identical.

TECHNICAL

The document was reformatted from a formal enrolled legislative document (with chapter heading, page numbers, and governor's receipt block) into a website display version with navigation elements, bill search interface, version history listing, and status metadata. No statutory language was changed.

04/16/26 - Amended Assembly → 04/22/26 - Amended Assembly · 5 edits · Apr 22, 2026

MODERATE

The April 22 amendment to AB 2773 removes a legislative intent statement directing evaluation of the Occupational Therapy Board through the joint sunset review process, narrows the fieldwork arrangement requirement by eliminating the option for nationally recognized professional associations to arrange supervised fieldwork (limiting it to ACOTE-accredited educational institutions), and adds clarifying language tying the doctoral capstone experience to requirements for obtaining an occupational therapy doctorate from an ACOTE-accredited institution. The bill also updates gender-neutral language throughout and fixes several typos.

SCOPE

Removed former Section 1, which stated the Legislature's intent to evaluate the California Board of Occupational Therapy through the joint legislative sunset review oversight process and effectuate any recommendations from that process. This removes a formal commitment to a structured review mechanism for the board before its January 1, 2031 sunset date.

ELIGIBILITY

Section 2570.6(d) no longer allows supervised fieldwork experience to be arranged by a nationally recognized professional association. Fieldwork must now be arranged only by a recognized ACOTE-accredited educational institution where the applicant met academic requirements, narrowing the pathways available to applicants.

REQUIREMENT

Section 2570.4(d) adds clarifying language specifying that the supervised entry-level doctoral capstone experience constitutes part of the requirements for obtaining an occupational therapy doctorate degree from an ACOTE-accredited educational institution, making the connection between the capstone and the degree more explicit.

TECHNICAL

Gender-neutral language updates throughout: 'he or she' replaced with 'they' in multiple sections (2570.4, 2570.6). Also fixed a typo in Section 2570.16(c) where 'fee' was duplicated ('A limited permit fee. fee not to exceed...').

All section numbers renumbered down by one (old Sections 2-5 become Sections 1-4) following the removal of the former Section 1 sunset review intent statement.

02/23/26 - Introduced → 04/16/26 - Amended Assembly · 8 edits · Apr 16, 2026

MODERATE

AB 2773 was substantially expanded from a bill that only changed board meeting locations to one that also extends the board's sunset date by four years (to 2031), tightens licensure requirements by mandating ACOTE accreditation and adding a doctoral capstone experience requirement for occupational therapists, creates a 60-day temporary practice pathway for out-of-state licensed OTs, caps and adds new license fees, and requires all applicants and licensees to provide and maintain a current email address with the board.

TIMELINE

The sunset date for the California Board of Occupational Therapy was extended from January 1, 2027 to January 1, 2031, giving the board four additional years before it would be dissolved and subject to legislative review.

SCOPE

The bill now amends Sections 2570.4, 2570.6, 2570.16, and 2570.19 of the Business and Professions Code and adds a new Section 2570.40, rather than only amending Section 2570.19 as introduced.

REQUIREMENT

Licensure now requires that the educational program be accredited by ACOTE (or AOTA's predecessor organization or Career Mobility Program), replacing the prior requirement of board approval alone.

A new Section 2570.40 requires all applicants and licensees to provide their email address to the board by July 1, 2027, update it within 30 days of any change, and the board must remind them at each renewal. The email is designated as confidential.

Board meeting requirements changed from at least one regular meeting annually in Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Francisco to at least three meetings per year, with at least once in northern California and once in southern California.

ELIGIBILITY

A new requirement mandates that occupational therapist applicants complete a supervised entry-level doctoral capstone experience approved by the board and arranged by an ACOTE-accredited institution, consistent with ACOTE accreditation standards in effect when the applicant completed their program.

A new temporary practice pathway allows a person holding a current, active, nonrestricted occupational therapy license from another state with at least as stringent requirements to practice in California for up to 60 days after filing an application, provided they work under the supervision of a California-licensed occupational therapist.

FISCAL

The limited permit fee is now capped at $125 (previously uncapped), and new fees are established: pocket card ($50), duplicate wall certificate ($50), and letter of good standing or verification of licensure ($50).

Floor votes · Senate Aug 24, 2026 · Assembly May 27, 2026

How they voted

39–0

Passed · 1 other

Total votes 40

Aug 24, 2026

D Democratic30

30 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican10

9 Yea 1

90% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Aug 24, 2026

Lower · Passed

In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.

lower

Aug 24, 2026

Upper · Passed

Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0.).

upper

Aug 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 13).

upper

Aug 3, 2026

Committee

In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

upper

Jun 29, 2026

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (June 29). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

upper

Jun 3, 2026

Committee

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

upper

May 27, 2026

Assembly · Passed

Assembly Vote: pass (75-1-3)

assembly

May 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 76. Noes 1.)

lower

May 14, 2026

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (May 14).

lower

May 6, 2026

Committee

In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

lower

Apr 23, 2026

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

lower

Apr 22, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read second time and amended.

lower

Apr 21, 2026

Introduced

From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 19. Noes 0.) (April 21).

lower

Apr 20, 2026

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on B. & P.

lower

Apr 16, 2026

Introduced

From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on B. & P. Read second time and amended.

lower

Mar 16, 2026

Committee

Referred to Com. on B. & P.

lower

Feb 24, 2026

Lower · Passed

From printer. May be heard in committee March 26.

lower

0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors