Bill Commons

CA AB 659

dead

Master of Divinity: physician and surgeon: title.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

Quick answers

Did CA AB 659 pass?

No. CA AB 659 did not pass — it was defeated or died in the legislative process (2026-02-02). Latest recorded action (2026-02-02): From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

What is CA AB 659 about?

Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, establishes the Medical Board of California within the Department of Consumer Affairs and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the licensure and regulation of physicians and surgeons. Existing law prohibits a person from using the words "doctor" or "physician," the letters or prefix "Dr.," the initials "M.D.," or any other terms or letters indicating or implying that the person is a physician and surgeon, physician, surgeon, or practitioner, unless the person has been issued a physician's and surgeon's certificate by the board, and makes a violation of these provisions a crime. This bill would specifically prohibit a person who has earned a Master of Divinity from displaying the title "MDiv" or "M.D.i.v." in a communication or advertisement relating to the person's practice unless the title is clearly distinguishable from the title "MD" or "M.D." The bill would provide that prohibited displays include, but are not limited to, using different colors, fonts, or font sizes in a way that makes the "MD" or "M.D." more prominent than the "iv" or "i.v." The bill would provide that a person who violates this provision is not subject to criminal penalties, as specified.

Who sponsors CA AB 659?

Berman is the primary sponsor of CA AB 659.

Description

Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, establishes the Medical Board of California within the Department of Consumer Affairs and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the licensure and regulation of physicians and surgeons. Existing law prohibits a person from using the words "doctor" or "physician," the letters or prefix "Dr.," the initials "M.D.," or any other terms or letters indicating or implying that the person is a physician and surgeon, physician, surgeon, or practitioner, unless the person has been issued a physician's and surgeon's certificate by the board, and makes a violation of these provisions a crime. This bill would specifically prohibit a person who has earned a Master of Divinity from displaying the title "MDiv" or "M.D.i.v." in a communication or advertisement relating to the person's practice unless the title is clearly distinguishable from the title "MD" or "M.D." The bill would provide that prohibited displays include, but are not limited to, using different colors, fonts, or font sizes in a way that makes the "MD" or "M.D." more prominent than the "iv" or "i.v." The bill would provide that a person who violates this provision is not subject to criminal penalties, as specified.

Introduced
—
Latest action
2026-02-02 — From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Bermanauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

  1. 2025-02-14

    Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

  2. 2025-02-15

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 17.

  3. 2025-03-03

    Referred to Com. on B. & P.

    referral-committee

  4. 2025-04-01

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 17. Noes 0.) (April 1). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  5. 2025-05-21

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

    referral-committee

  6. 2025-05-21

    Joint Rule 62(a), file notice suspended. (Page 1627.)

  7. 2025-05-23

    In committee: Held under submission.

  8. 2026-01-31

    Died pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(c) of the Constitution.

    failure

  9. 2026-02-02

    From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

    committee-passage,failure

Versions

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar

    2025-04-01 · pass · 17-0

    Member-level votes (18)
    • Haney: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Chen: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Hadwick: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB659

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z

Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:

Source and document changesStatus and relationship changes

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