(a) Any independent professionals appointed by the Board of Parole Hearings for purposes of this article shall not be state government employees. The independent professionals appointed shall have at least five years of experience in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders and shall include psychiatrists and licensed psychologists who have a doctoral degree in psychology.

(b) On July 1 of each year the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the State Department of State Hospitals shall submit to the Board of Parole Hearings a list of 20 or more independent professionals on which both departments concur. The professionals shall not be state government employees and shall have at least five years of experience in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders and shall include psychiatrists and licensed psychologists who have a doctoral degree in psychology. For purposes of this article, once the Board of Parole Hearings receives the list, it shall only appoint independent professionals from the list. The list is not binding on the Board of Parole Hearings until it has received the list, and is not binding after June 30 following receipt of the list.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 9, Sec. 13. (AB 46) Effective January 1, 2020.)