NOTE: * denotes urgency legislation
SB 571 (Peace-D) - Services: Elderly Makes changes to the review process which the Department of Social Services is required to undertake related to the placement of individuals under the age of 60 years into residential care facilities for the elderly. Chapter 434, Statutes of 1996 SB 731 (Mello-D) - Conservatorships: Alzheimer's Disease Provides for conservatorships known as the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia Conservatorship. (Died in Senate Judiciary Committee) SB 895 (Leslie-R) - Civil Rights: Senior Housing Changes the definition of “qualified permanent resident” to allow dependent disabled adults to live in senior citizen housing developments. (Died in Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee) SB 1447 (Mello-D) - Income Tax: Alzheimer's Research and Senior Legislature Extends the check-off for the Alzheimer's Disease Research Fund and the California Fund for Senior Citizens to January 1, 2000. Chapter 494, Statutes of 1996 SB 1483 (Mello-D) - Health Care Providers: Elder Abuse States legislative intent not to limit or restrict the application of provisions regarding the awarding of attorney's fees and costs, and prohibiting the limitation of damages generally applicable with respect to cases of abuse of elderly or dependent adults to causes of action other than those based on a health care provider's alleged professional negligence. (Died in Senate Judiciary Committee) SB 1895 (Mello-D) - Aging Recasts the provisions of the Older Californian's Act, renames it the Mello-Granlund Older Californians Act, and provides the basis for shifting to local administration several programs now administered by the state. These include Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, Alzheimer's Day Care- Resource Center Program, Brown Bag Program, Foster Grandparent Program, Linkages Program, and Senior Companion Program. Requires each area agency on aging to develop a transition plan for the transfer of these programs to local agencies. Requires existing relationships with local service providers to be maintained through 1997-98. Chapter 1096, Statutes of 1996 Similar legislation is AB 2800 (Granlund-R), Chapter 1097, Statutes of 1996 SB 2097 (Haynes-R) - Civil Rights: Senior Housing With respect to Riverside County only: 1. Removes the requirement that senior housing be specifically designed to meet the physical and social needs of seniors. 2. Lowers the threshold for the minimum number of dwelling units within a development necessary for housing to qualify as senior-only housing from a range of between 35 to 150 units, based on the population of the metropolitan area, to 20 units. 3. Adds to the list of qualified permanent residents mentally and physically disabled or terminally-ill adults who are dependents of the senior resident. On a statewide basis, limits the ability of developers to obtain a public report for phased-in development of new senior-only housing unless the initial phase meets the minimum unit requirement outlined in #2 above. Chapter 1147, Statutes of 1996 AB 943 (Caldera-D) - Money Management Establishes a 5-year pilot project called the Money Management for Senior Citizens Program. Provides that the program will be established in not more than 3 planning and service areas. Requires the program to be administered by the area agencies on aging. (Failed passage in Assembly Appropriations Committee) AB 1205 (Morrissey-R) - Crimes Against Seniors: Embezzlement: Extortion Provides that upon conviction of a felony violation of the laws proscribing theft, embezzlement, or extortion, the fact that the victim was an elder or dependent adult shall be considered a circumstance in aggravation when imposing the term of punishment. Chapter 788, Statutes of 1996 AB 1246 (Frusetta-R) - Residential Care for the Elderly Prohibits the licensee or staff of a residential care facility for the elderly (RCFE) from retaliating against any person receiving the services of the RCFE or against any employee of the facility for initiating or participating in the filing of a complaint or grievance with the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman or the Department of Social Services. (Died in Assembly Human Services Committee) AB 1850 (Sher-D) - Home and Community Based Services Requires the Department of Health Services to implement a program in San Mateo County for the provisions of a continuum of social and health support services to the aged and disabled adult population. (Died in Assembly Health Committee) AB 2021 (Tucker-D) - Elder and Dependent Adults Emphasizes to physicians the importance of accurately reflecting the cause of death when abuse occurs. Requires the Department of Health Services (DHS) to study barriers to ensuring access to an adequate supply of skilled nursing facility beds on a short-term basis. Requires DHS to implement up to 3 pilot projects in which skilled nursing facility beds are used to provide shelter on a short-term basis. Requires the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to prepare guidelines establishing standard procedures which may be followed by police agencies in the detection, investigation and response to cases of abuse. Requires the Ombudsman Program to expand the subject of its community education and training programs to include long-term care ombudsman and adult protective services programs. (Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee) AB 2220 (Woods-R) - Crimes Against the Elderly or Disabled Prohibits probation for an offender who commits or attempts to commit any felony against a victim who is 60 years of age or older, or who is blind, a paraplegic, quadriplegic, or confined to a wheelchair, or who is developmentally disabled, unless unusual circumstances exist. (Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee) AB 2412 (Alby-R) - Multipurpose Senior Services Program Prohibits the Department of Aging from reprocuring contracts through July 1, 1998 for the Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) in any areas that the Department of Health Services selects prior to January 1, 1997 to develop a long-term care integration pilot program. Also requires new MSSP contracts to cover the same geographical area and clients as the previous contractor. (Died in Senate Appropriations Committee) AB 2646 (Granlund-R) - Senior Housing: Civil Rights Deletes requirements for senior citizen housing to be specially designed to meet the social and physical needs of seniors. Reduces the minimum size requirements of 35 to 150 units for 55 and over senior developments to a flat 20 unit minimum. Adds to the list of qualified permanent residents mentally and physically disabled or terminally-ill adults who are dependents of the senior resident. (Failed passage in Senate Judiciary Committee) AB 2881 (Woods-R) - Elder Abuse Authorizes law enforcement or designated county employees to take an elderly or dependent adult into temporary emergency protective custody and refer the case to the county protective services agency. Requires the county agency to then initiate court review of the need for continued protective services and appoint a guardian to continue the protective services if required. Establishes the adult's right to counsel in the hearing on the petition for emergency protection. Is limited to local jurisdictions that authorize its use. Chapter 913, Statutes of 1996 AB 3387 (Hannigan-D) - Senior Service Providers: Training Requires the Department of Aging to establish a training and education program requiring persons responsible for the administration or management of senior centers, special transportation services for the elderly, and senior residences, to receive education and training in the area of gerontology. (Died in Assembly Human Services Committee) ACR 67 (Bordonaro-R) - Geriatric Training Encourages the University of California to continue its efforts to modify its medical school curricula to include geriatrics and related pharmacology. Resolution Chapter 42, Statutes of 1996 AJR 12 (K. Murray-D) - Housing for Older Persons Urges the Congress of the United States to amend the federal Fair Housing Act to accomplish all of the following: to eliminate the requirement that significant facilities and services be provided in order to qualify as housing for older persons; to require housing facilities to publish, and adhere to, policies and procedures that demonstrate the intent to be a “55-and-older” facility; and to provide that a good-faith attempt at compliance with the Fair Housing Act shall provide an exemption from liability for civil money damages for a violation of that act, as specified. (Died in Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee) AJR 62 (Vasconcellos-D) - Older Americans Act Requests the U.S. Congress to reauthorize the Older Americans Act with explicit protection for the rights of seniors including legal rights, advocacy, ombudsman, and demonstration programs. Resolution Chapter 45, Statutes of 1996
