--- type: "Bill" title: "Physicians and surgeons." description: "Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of physicians and surgeons by the Medical Board of California. Existing law makes it a misdemeanor for a person who is not licensed as a physician and surgeon under the act to use certain words, letters, and phrases or any other terms that imply that he or she is authorized to practice medicine as a physician and surgeon." jurisdiction: "us/states/ca" legislature: "California Legislature" session: "20092010" identifier: "AB 501" citation: "California AB 501 (20092010)" classification: ["bill"] subjects: ["Physicians and surgeons."] status: "enacted" primary_sponsors: ["Emmerson"] version_count: 7 action_count: 29 vote_count: 7 first_action: "2009-02-24" last_action: "2009-10-11" source: "openstates" source_identifier: "ocd-bill/bb8a4035-64a6-4cb5-8025-83fcda3d0ea9" source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB501" source_hash: "5e39d36fbdd1eae01a65783470d4fe45027ee96c093efde3d11035145a7417d4" vintage: "2026-07-01" source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump" retrieved_at: "2026-07-06" confidence: "reported" tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ca"] --- # California AB 501 (20092010) — Physicians and surgeons. Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of physicians and surgeons by the Medical Board of California. Existing law makes it a misdemeanor for a person who is not licensed as a physician and surgeon under the act to use certain words, letters, and phrases or any other terms that imply that he or she is authorized to practice medicine as a physician and surgeon. ## Version chain The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment. 1. **02/24/09 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB501&version=20090AB50199INT) 2. **04/13/09 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB501&version=20090AB50198AMD) 3. **05/26/09 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB501&version=20090AB50197AMD) 4. **07/13/09 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB501&version=20090AB50196AMD) 5. **10/11/09 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB501&version=20090AB50194CHP) 6. **AB501** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB501) 7. **08/25/09 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB501&version=20090AB50195ENR) ## Votes - Do pass. — **pass** (pass) · upper - AB 501 EMMERSON Concurrence in Senate Amendments — **pass** (pass) · lower - AB 501 EMMERSON Assembly Third Reading — **pass** (pass) · lower - Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations. — **pass** (pass) · lower - Do pass, but re-refer to the Committee on Appropriations. — **pass** (pass) · upper - Special Consent #14 AB501 Emmerson By Kehoe — **pass** (pass) · upper - Do pass. — **pass** (pass) · lower ## Sponsors - Emmerson — primary (person) ## Timeline The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote. - **2009-02-24** Read first time. To print. `reading-1` - **2009-02-25** From printer. May be heard in committee March 27. - **2009-03-12** Referred to Com. on B. & P. `referral-committee` - **2009-03-31** In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author. - **2009-04-13** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on B. & P. Read second time and amended. `amendment-introduction, reading-2, amendment-passage, reading-1` - **2009-04-15** Re-referred to Com. on B. & P. `referral-committee` - **2009-04-22** From committee: Do pass, and re-refer to Com. on APPR. Re-referred. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (April 21). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage` - **2009-05-07** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (May 6). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage` - **2009-05-11** Read second time. To third reading. `reading-2, reading-1` - **2009-05-26** Read third time, amended, and returned to third reading. (Page 1666.). `reading-3, amendment-passage, reading-1` - **2009-05-28** Read third time, passed, and to Senate. (Ayes 80. Noes 0. Page 1725.) `reading-3, passage, reading-1` - **2009-05-28** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1` - **2009-06-11** Referred to Com. on B., P. & E.D. `referral-committee` - **2009-06-29** From committee: Do pass, and re-refer to Com. on APPR. Re-referred. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (June 29). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage` - **2009-07-06** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (July 6). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage` - **2009-07-07** Read second time. To third reading. `reading-2, reading-1` - **2009-07-09** Ordered to Special Consent Calendar. - **2009-07-13** Ordered to third reading. - **2009-07-13** Read third time, amended. To second reading. `reading-3, amendment-passage, reading-1` - **2009-07-14** Read second time. To third reading. `reading-2, reading-1` - **2009-07-15** Ordered to Special Consent Calendar. - **2009-08-17** Read third time, passed, and to Assembly. (Ayes 35. Noes 0. Page 1842.) `reading-3, passage, reading-1` - **2009-08-17** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after August 19 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77. - **2009-08-20** Senate amendments concurred in. To enrollment. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 2657.) `amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable` - **2009-08-27** Enrolled and to the Governor at 3:15 p.m. - **2009-09-08** Returned by the Governor at the request of the Assembly. - **2009-09-25** Enrolled and to the Governor at 5 p.m. - **2009-10-11** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature` - **2009-10-11** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 400, Statutes of 2009. ## Source OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/bb8a4035-64a6-4cb5-8025-83fcda3d0ea9`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).