SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Speech‑Language Pathology and Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensers Board on Feb. 21 voted to adopt a legislative omnibus proposal and received multiple administrative updates from Department of Consumer Affairs staff and board leadership.

The board voted by roll call to adopt a legislative proposal to make nonsubstantive technical changes to portions of its practice act and related code sections. The motion carried on a recorded vote (aye: Gilda Dominguez, Amy White, Todd Borges, Tamara Chambers, Charles Sanders, Karen Chang). No public comments were recorded during the vote.

Melissa Geer, deputy director for board and bureau relations at the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), provided a multi‑point DCA update. Geer outlined Executive Order N‑15‑25, issued by Governor Gavin Newsom, which provides fee deferral and limited relief for licensees whose business or residence addresses fall within ZIP codes affected by the recent Los Angeles‑area wildfires. Among the measures described: a one‑year postponement to pay renewal fees for impacted licensees whose licenses expire between Jan. 1 and July 1, 2025; suspension of delinquency fees through July 1, 2025 for affected licensees; and free duplicate or replacement wall certificates through Jan. 7, 2026. DCA also noted a disaster help center webpage and a toll‑free number for affected licensees.

Geer also briefed the board on administrative changes: Governor‑signed AB 1170 requires board members to file Form 700 electronically through the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) portal beginning in 2025, with a filing deadline of April 1, 2025. DCA staff reminded members of required board member orientation dates and recruitment efforts to fill current board vacancies.

Regulatory and enforcement updates included a summary of recently adopted hearing‑aid advertising regulations. Staff reported those regulations were filed with the Secretary of State on Dec. 30, 2024, and will become effective April 1, 2025. The rules clarify what licensed dispensers must include and may not include in hearing‑aid advertising under existing law.

The board’s compliance and licensing staff reported continuing‑education and licensing metrics. A continuing‑education audit of 38 licensees (5% of the sampling frame for that renewal period) found 21 passed, 14 failed and 2 qualified for exemptions; staff described the audit process as primarily educational and said remediation varies by the quantity and type of hours missing. The board also reported enforcement activity: 39 complaints and subsequent arrests during the reporting period, eight citations and fines issued, 10 formal cases pending at the Attorney General’s Office, and 16 licensees currently monitored on probation (including seven subject to drug and alcohol testing). Staff advised the board that higher‑than‑expected Office of the Attorney General costs for contested matters are likely to require an augmentation of the agency’s legal expenditure line to keep the fund condition healthy.

Board members approved the December 2024 meeting minutes as amended in an early agenda action; the roll‑call vote showed all present voting aye. The board also discussed committee calendars and upcoming meeting dates in May, August and December 2025 and noted three current board vacancies (a hearing‑aid dispenser member, a public member and a speech‑language pathologist member).

The board recessed into closed session to consider disciplinary matters — including the petition for penalty relief heard earlier in the day — and to consider an executive‑officer appointment. The open session resumed later with a roll call; staff announced that a decision regarding the interim executive officer appointment had been made and that a public announcement would follow, but no personnel details were announced in open session.