SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A new bill in the California Legislature would let some nurse practitioners perform abortions without the supervision of a doctor.

The bill announced Thursday is part of a plan to prepare for a potential influx of patients from other states if the U.S. Supreme Court allows states to ban or severely restrict the procedure.

Democratic State Senate leader Toni Atkins says the goal is to increase the number of California health care workers who can perform abortions ahead of a potential Supreme Court ruling this summer.

Nurse practitioners are not doctors, but they have advanced degrees and can provide a number of treatments.