The California legislature has voted to approve a bill that designates the spread of misinformation regarding COVID-19 by a member of its medical board an act of misconduct.
The bill was amended April 20 and means that any licensed physician or surgeon as members of the Medical Board of California and the Osteopathic Medical Board of California can face disciplinary action for "dissemination or promotion of misinformation or disinformation related to COVID-19".
Before disciplinary action is brought against a physician though, the boards will decide whether the physician departed from the applicable standard of care and whether the misinformation resulted in harm to a patient's health.
The bill must be passed by the California Senate and signed by the governor before it becomes law.