The BRN Has Disappeared Like a Plane in a Bad Vegas Show…
and no one is looking under the curtain
The Board of Registered Nursing in California ceased to exist as of December 31, 2011. If you go to their website, even their name has changed. The thing that amazes me is that a regulatory Board that essentially governs approximately 400,000 nurses in California has disappeared like a jet plane in a Vegas show and no one is talking about it. It seems that even the Board itself was surprised.
On Oct. 9, Brown vetoed SB 538 — routine legislation that would have extended the BRN's authority for the next four years, citing concerns with pension provisions contained in the bill.
The bill referred to some investigators working for the board as "sworn investigators" said Louise Bailey, RN, BSN, MEd, executive officer for the BRN, which oversees about 400,000 RNs and 148 pre-licensure nursing programs. This would have entitled those investigators to larger pensions, she said.
"This was not on our radar at all," Bailey said. "Had I known, I would have asked them to take the language out." How is it possible that the Director of an organization not be aware that there was a bill floating around the legislature that ELIMINATED the entire thing?
In his veto message, Brown stated the clause to expand pension benefits to certain board investigators "makes no sense fiscally and flies in the face of much needed pension reform."
He also said it was not acceptable to risk disrupting the board's crucial consumer protection role by allowing such provisions in a routine sunset extension bill.
"The board has existed for 106 years without these enhanced benefits and should continue to do so," Brown said.
But as of now it is not in existence at all. It has been taken over by the Department of Consumer Affairs. Louise Bailey has been re-named a “Special Consultant” instead of the “Executive Director” and the BRN is now known as The Department of Consumer Affairs Registered Nursing Program. The Board voted on November 16, 2011 to delegate administrative, non-discretionary duties to the Department of Consumer Affairs to continue operating until the Board is reconstituted by the Legislature and Governor sometime after January 2, 2012. In the mean time, the show must go on and it as business as usual in Vegas… I mean, Sacramento… where a plane… I mean, a governmental entity in charge of almost half a million people…can disappear and no one bothers to notice. In this case… even the pilot of the plane seemed oblivious.
Why is Our Nurse Jumping for Joy Over a $2,500 BRN Fine and Citation for a DUI?
