2011 – AB 575 Licensing Dietitians
Opposed and supported health freedom amendments; Withdrawn at request of author

2005 – AB 302 Naturopathic Doctor Registration
Supported Health Freedom safe harbor exemption amendments and Passed

2001 – SB 577 Safe Harbor exemption for unlicensed practitioners
Supported and Passed

In 2001, California passed a safe harbor exemption health freedom law (remember famous SB 577!) that protects consumer access to practitioners that are not conventional medical health care occupations licensed by the state, such as herbalists, traditional naturopaths, homeopaths, and other healing arts practitioners practicing in the public domain. These independent practitioners have an exemption for state licensing requirements if they practice within the safe harbor law which includes a duty to avoid prohibited conduct and to give out disclosures to their clients spelled out in the law.

In addition, California has a law that licenses Naturopathic Doctors and that law has special exemptions in it for practitioners practicing naturopathy without license under the California Health Freedom Act, and also the Licensed Naturopathic Doctor law has a special title exemption as follows: “California Business and Professions Section 3645. (a) This chapter permits, and does not restrict the use of,
the following titles by persons who are educated and trained as any
of the following:
    (1) “Naturopath.”
    (2) “Naturopathic practitioner.”
    (3) “Traditional naturopathic practitioner.”
    (b) This chapter permits, and does not restrict, the education of persons as described in paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive, of subdivision (a). Those persons are not required to be licensed underthis chapter.”

Sunshine Health Freedom Foundation has received positive feedback from traditional naturopaths and herbalists in California that this law is working very well for their clients

State/Bill Number:
2013 California A.B. 1278

Subject:
Integrative cancer treatment

Position:
Oppose

Status:
04/23/2013 (H) Hearing postponed by Cmmttee- no change 5/22/13

Link:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/13-14/bill/asm/ab_1251-1300/ab_1278_bill_20130222_introduced.pdf

State/Bill Number:
2013 California S.B. 117

Subject:
Integrative cancer treatment

Position:
Oppose

Status:
4/29/13 (S) from cmmtt w/amends, read 2nd, re-ref to Business, Econ., & Professions – no change 5/22/13

Link:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/13-14/bill/sen/sb_0101-0150/sb_117_bill_20130430_amended_sen_v97.pdf

State/Bill Number:
2013 California S.B. 218

Subject:
Oriental Medicine Traumatologist certificate

Position:
TBD

Status:
05/21/2013 (S) SET FOR HEARING MAY 23.- no change 5/22/2013

Link:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/13-14/bill/sen/sb_0201-0250/sb_218_bill_20130425_amended_sen_v97.pdf