By Grace Mauer
On January 5, 2026, The California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) published its Sunset Review Report 2026 in preparation for its Sunset Review Oversight hearing before the Assembly Business and Professions Committee and the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee. The Board’s enabling act, section 2700, et seq. Of the Business and Professions code, is scheduled to “sunset” or be repealed on January 1, 2027, if it is not extended during sunset review.
BRN’s report includes a summary of the Board’s activities over the past four years, covering July 2021 through June 2025 with updates through November 2025, and addresses the legislature regarding issues raised during its previous sunset reviews. The report is organized into 11 sections responding to the legislature’s survey questions and identifies a series of new issues the Board would like the legislature to consider during this sunset review period. The report highlights the Board’s implementation of a multi-phase internal reorganization to strengthen alignment across its six divisions, as well as its adoption of a 2026-2030 Strategic Plan in November 2025.
In preparation for BRN’s Joint Sunset Review Oversight hearing, committee staff issued a background paper for members of the respective Business and Professions Committees. The paper provides background information about the Board, updates the committees on changes and improvements BRN has made regarding issues from the previous sunset review, and identifies new issues to raise with the Board during the sunset review process.
On Tuesday, March 10, 2026, pursuant to Government Code Title 2, Division 2, Part 1, Chapter 1.5, Article 7.5, the Assembly Business and Professions Committee and the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee held its joint oversight hearing regarding BRN’s Sunset Review.
At this writing, the legislature has not yet introduced a bill to extend the Board’s sunset date beyond January 1, 2027, or to include any substantive amendment to the Board’s enabling statutes resulting from the sunset review process.