Health


Abortion
AIDS
Cancer
Alzheimer's Disease
Medi-Cal
Mental Health
Developmentally Disabled
Tobacco Products
Health Facilities
Health Professionals
Other Public Health and Safety Legislation



Index Abortion

SB 149 (Haynes-R) Sharon Hamptlon Act of 1999

Enacts the Sharon Hamptlon Act for the establishment of additional general standards for abortions, accreditation of abortion clinics and penalties for any reported inappropriate abortion procedure.

(Failed passage in Senate Health and Human Services Committee)

AB 507 (Runner-R) Abortion: informed consent: Medi-Cal

Prohibits the Medi-Cal program from paying for an abortion for a woman who has previously had an abortion, unless it is performed with the voluntary and informed consent of the woman, as specified, following a 24-hour waiting period.

(Failed passage in Assembly Health Committee; reconsideration granted)

AB 1424 (House-R) Partial-birth abortion: ban

Enacts the Partial-Birth Abortion Prohibition Act, which prohibits partial-birth abortion, except in specified cases.

(Failed passage in Assembly Health Committee; reconsideration granted)

TopIndex AIDS

SB 77 (Murray-D) Workers' compensation: death benefits

Extends the statute of limitations for claims for workers' compensation death benefits in the case of the death of specified public safety workers from an Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) related disease.

Chapter 358, Statutes of 1999

SB 1029 (Haynes-R) HIV test results: public health reporting

Requires the reporting of HIV test results to public health departments and requires the State Department of Health Services to develop and implement a uniform statewide reporting system, partner notification and contact tracing system employing name-based identifiers for persons testing positive for HIV.

(Failed passage in Senate Health and Human Services Committee; reconsideration granted)

AB 103 (Migden-D) HIV test results: public health reporting

Enacts a statewide public health reporting system for HIV using a unique identifier method that does not report the names or other identifying information of the person infected.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 136 (Mazzoni-D) Drug paraphernalia: clean needle and syringe exchange

Exempts from criminal prosecution public entities and their agents and employees who distribute hypodermic needles or syringes to participants in clean needle and syringe projects authorized by the public entity pursuant to a declaration of a local emergency due to the existence of a critical local public health crisis.

Chapter 762, Statutes of 1999

AB 217 (Wildman-D) Health care coverage: Medi-Cal

Directs the State Department of Health Services to develop risk-adjusted capitated rates for treatment of Medi-Cal patients with HIV.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 319 (Thomson-D) County programs: funding

Requires the State Department of Health Services to annually advance to a local health department 25 percent of the annual State General Fund allocation, subvention, or reimbursement required by the local health department for the delivery of services for specified programs, including funding for HIV education and prevention services.

Chapter 847, Statutes of 1999

AB 518 (Mazzoni-D) AIDS: clean needle and syringe exchange projects

Authorizes clean needle and syringe exchange projects, and authorizes pharmacists, physicians and other persons, as specified, to furnish hypodermic needles and syringes without a prescription or permit when operating needle and syringe exchange projects.

(Action rescinded whereby bill was enrolled to the Governor; held at Assembly desk)

AB 1047 (Firebaugh-D) AIDS: drug treatments

Requires that all antiviral drugs approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of HIV or AIDS be made available through the AIDS Drug Assistance Program and requires the State Department of Health Services' Office of AIDS to report on specified consumer protections.

Chapter 497, Statutes of 1999

TopIndex Cancer

SB 5 (Rainey-R) Health care benefits: breast cancer services

Prohibits the denial of enrollment or coverage to an individual solely due to a family history of breast cancer, or who has had one or more diagnostic procedures for breast disease but has not developed or been diagnosed with breast cancer. Applies to health care service plan contracts and certain policies of disability insurance that are issued, amended, delivered, or renewed on or after January 1, 2000.

Chapter 537, Statutes of 1999

SB 193 (Baca-D) Vehicles: special breast cancer treatment license plates

Establishes, until January 1, 2003, the process for State Department of Motor Vehicles' issuance of a new special license plate for breast cancer treatment for low- income patients.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 205 (Perata-D) Health coverage: cancer screening tests

Requires every health care service plan contract and every policy of disability (health) insurance, as specified, to be deemed to provide coverage for all generally medically accepted cancer screening tests.

Chapter 543, Statutes of 1999

SB 362 (Alpert-D) Health care coverage: ovarian cancer

Requires every health care service plan contract, except a specialized health care service plan contract, and disability (health) insurance policy, issued, amended, delivered, or renewed on or after January 1, 2000, to be deemed to provide coverage for the screening and diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

(On Senate Inactive File)

SB 1009 (Ortiz-D) Cancer research

Revises the procedures for the administration of the Cancer Research Fund, outlines allocations of funds for gender-specific cancer research, and provides for multi-year expenditure authority of appropriated grants.

Chapter 751, Statutes of 1999

SB 1154 (Speier-D) Breast and gynecological cancer: treatment services

Establishes a program to provide treatment for breast and gynecological cancers for women with incomes up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level who are not eligible for no-share-of-cost Medi-Cal. Directs the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board to contract with health plans for coverage, and to establish premium and co-payment requirements for women who enroll in the program.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SCR 24 (O'Connell-D) National Lymphoma Awareness Week

Designates the second week of October as National Lymphoma Awareness Week and honors the work of the Lymphoma Research Foundation of America.

Resolution Chapter 126, Statutes of 1999

SCR 43 (Baca-D) Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

Designates the month of September 1999 as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.

Resolution Chapter 131, Statutes of 1999

SCR 46 (Ortiz-D) Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

Recognizes September as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

Resolution Chapter 132, Statutes of 1999

SCR 49 (Rainey-R) Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Declares the month of October 1999 as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and October 15, 1999, as Breast Exam and Mammography Awareness Day.

Resolution Chapter 133, Statutes of 1999

AB 40 (Wayne-D) Breast cancer: treatment

Establishes the Breast Cancer Treatment Program to provide breast cancer treatment services to uninsured and underinsured women with incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 251 (Davis-D) Tobacco settlement: heart disease and cancer

Allocates $20 million received by the State from the national tobacco settlement. Directs $10 million for women's heart disease research and prevention programs and $10 million for genetics-related cancer research.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 539 (Papan-D) Cancer: firefighters and peace officers

Removes the requirement that a firefighter or peace officer prove a reasonable link between a carcinogen and the disabling cancer before the cancer is presumed compensable.

Chapter 595, Statutes of 1999

A similar bill is AB 1374 (Granlund-R).

AB 610 (Jackson-D) Health care coverage: children's cancer

Requires health care service plans, insurers and fraternal benefit societies to cover routine patient costs incurred during Phase II and Phase III clinical trials of children's cancer-related studies sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, the Pediatric Oncology Group, the Children's Cancer Group or any successor group. Allows restriction of coverage to participating California physicians and hospitals, unless the protocols are not provided in California. Requires that the enrollee's physician or pediatric oncologist, who is under contract or employed by the plan, has recommended participation in the trial and has certified that the clinical trial therapy is likely to be more beneficial than standard therapy.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 689* (Gallegos-D) Medi-Cal

Appropriates $15 million from the Unallocated Account in the Cigarette and Tobacco Products Surtax Fund (Proposition 99) to fund the Breast Cancer Early Detection Program (Budget Item 4260-111-0236).

Chapter 831, Statutes of 1999

AB 1107* (Cedillo-D) Health Care

A budget trailer bill that, among other provisions, requires the State Department of Health Services to contract to provide breast cancer treatment to a bidder that is a nonprofit organization and meets specified eligibility criteria in order to provide $2.5 million in General Fund support to treat women and men with breast cancer who meet certain eligibility criteria. Requires the appropriated funds be used to match any funding from non-General Fund sources, including public nonprofit foundations.

Chapter 146, Statutes of 1999

ACR 46 (Gallegos-D) Skin cancer and melanoma awareness

Declares the month of May as Skin Cancer Awareness Month in California, and encourages all Californians to make themselves and their families aware of the risk of skin cancer and the preventive measures. Also proclaims May 3, 1999, as Melanoma Awareness Monday in California, to increase public awareness of the importance of routine complete skin examination to detect early melanoma.

Resolution Chapter 25, Statutes of 1999

ACR 51 (Wayne-D) Breast cancer

Designates the month of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and designates October 15, 1999, as Breast Exam and Mammography Awareness Day.

Resolution Chapter 109, Statutes of 1999

TopIndex Alzheimer's Disease

SB 53* (Hughes-D) Alzheimer's disease diagnostic and treatment centers

Appropriates $500,000 from the General Fund to the State Department of Health Services for the maintenance of services provided by Alzheimer's disease diagnostic and treatment centers that were in existence on June 30, 1998.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SCR 40 (Hughes-D) Alzheimer's disease treatment

Urges the State Department of Health Services to expediently add one or more cholinesterase inhibitors to its Medi-Cal formulary.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 160 (Alquist-D) Personal income taxes: contributions: Alzheimer's disease

Extends the sunset date for the Alzheimer's income tax checkoff from January 1, 2000 to January 1, 2005. Specifically, allows the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Research Fund income tax checkoff to remain on the income tax form for five additional years, provided it receives at least $250,000 in checkoff contributions annually.

Chapter 315, Statutes of 1999

AB 257 (Vincent-D) Alzheimer's Day Care-Resource Center Program

Requires an applicant for funds under the Alzheimer's Day Care-Resource Center Program to provide staff to care for persons of nonnative English-speaking ethnic groups, where a large concentration of those groups is served by the center.

(In Assembly Aging and Long-Term Care Committee)

AB 896 (Alquist-D) Alzheimer's disease: medications

Makes various legislative findings and declarations with respect to medications for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

(In Assembly)

TopIndex Medi-Cal

SB 8 (Leslie-R) Medi-Cal: drugs

Revises procedures relating to the availability of drugs under the Medi-Cal program. Provides that if a manufacturer agrees to extend its "best price," as defined, the drug would be placed on the Medi-Cal drug formulary.

(In Senate Health and Human Services Committee)

SB 82 (Vasconcellos-D) Medi-Cal

Extends medically necessary pre-natal care to Medi-Cal income-eligible undocumented and other aliens not covered under federal laws.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

Similar provisions are contained in AB 1107 (Cedillo-D), Chapter 146, Statutes of 1999.

SB 87 (Escutia-D) Medi-Cal: eligibility of children

Allows "qualified entities," to deem children presumptively eligible for medically-necessary services through Medi-Cal. Defines a "qualified entity" as "traditional children's health care providers," including pediatricians and health professionals who deliver services in community health centers.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 106 (Polanco-D) Medi-Cal

Establishes extensive health objectives for individuals enrolled in the Medi-Cal program, and requires the State Department of Health Services to collect data regarding these objectives, and to "manage" the program to meet them.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 111 (Figueroa-D) Medi-Cal: eligibility

Makes all children under 19 years-of-age in families earning less than 133 percent of poverty eligible for Medi-Cal.

(In Assembly, held at Desk)

SB 112 (Figueroa-D) Children: Healthy Families Program: Medi-Cal Program

Requires the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board to arrange for payment of providers who participate in the Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) program for services that would cover for up to 90 days following initial services to CHDP-eligible children. Under current law, providers must submit separate bills to the CHDP program.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 124 (Figueroa-D) Medi-Cal eligibility

Makes the following changes in Medi-Cal eligibility rules:

  1. Allows all applicants to submit an application by mail.
  2. Establishes "continuous presumptive eligibility" for children under 19.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 147 (Alpert-D) Medi-Cal eligibility

Extends through age 22 Medi-Cal eligibility for children who are in foster care on their eighteenth birthday. Provides an additional year for those who are full-time students.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 164* (Johnston-D) Reparation payments

Extends the same preferential tax treatment to Japanese reparation payments paid by the Canadian government as is extended to reparation payments paid by the U.S. government and prevents any reparation payments (whether paid by Canada or the U.S. government) from affecting eligibility for or levels of financial aid, Medi-Cal, or public assistance benefits.

Chapter 471, Statutes of 1999

SB 353* (Johannessen-R) Medi-Cal: residential care facility services

Requires the State Department of Health Services to submit a waiver request to the federal government to obtain coverage under the Medi-Cal program of services provided in residential care facilities.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 393 (Speier-D) Pharmacies: prescription benefits: Medicare beneficiaries

Requires a pharmacy to use the Medi-Cal reimbursement rate as the prescription price for a Medicare beneficiary, and requires specified studies.

Chapter 946, Statutes of 1999

SB 454 (Karnette-D) Children's hospitals: disproportionate share eligibility

Allows Miller Children's Hospital at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center to qualify for the Medi-Cal Disproportionate Share Hospital Program and receive up to $4 million dollars.

(In Senate Health and Human Services Committee)

SB 470 (Baca-D) Pilot project and study: chronic condition management

Proposes a study to determine the potential benefits of integrated/self-monitoring disease management for Medi-Cal fee-for-service patients.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 479 (Solis-D) Medi-Cal: county organized health systems

Delays incorporation of Medi-Cal children's services into managed care programs until the year 2005.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

SB 566 (Escutia-D) School health programs

Requires Healthy Family and Medi-Cal HMOs to contract with school-based health facilities for services to enrolled children.

(In Senate Insurance Committee)

SB 642 (Haynes-R) Medi-Cal: reimbursement: probationary licensee

Prohibits licensed medical professionals who are on probation from being reimbursed for services performed by the licensee while under the supervision of another physician during the probationary period.

(In Senate Business and Professions Committee)

SB 673 (Escutia-D) Medi-Cal transitional benefits

Requires a person receiving transitional Medi-Cal services to only be required to file an affirmation of facts about annual income and other resources and qualifications for eligibility, on an annual basis. However, an individual's duty to report changes in circumstances will not be affected.

(On Assembly Inactive File)

SB 708* (Senate Budget And Fiscal Review Committee) Human services

Provides clean-up language for the Health and Social Services Omnibus Budget trailer bills, as follows:

  1. Restores the asset test as a condition of income eligibility for the Medi-Cal 1931 (b) program.
  2. Reauthorizes Medi-Cal Long-Term Care services for undocumented persons, but limits expenditures to the amount needed to serve 110 percent of the 1999-2000 estimated eligible population.
  3. Places a one-year sunset on state-only funded ancillary health care services provided to Medi-Cal patients in the Institutes for Mental Disease.
  4. Appropriates an additional $600,000 from the General Fund for a new Medi-Cal provider fraud unit in the State Department of Health Services.
  5. Expands the population of legal immigrant recipients subject to five-year income deeming provisions, in the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants.
Chapter 148, Statutes of 1999

SB 780 (Burton-D) Medi-Cal: Downey Community Hospital Foundation meetings

Deletes a provision of existing law that exempts the Medi-Cal program from a Civil Code provision requiring that when a party incurs a forfeiture on an obligation, by reason of his/her failure to comply with its provisions, that person may be relieved from the forfeiture upon making full compensation to the other party (except in cases of fraudulent, negligent or willful breach of duty).

Vetoed by the Governor

SB 789 (Johannessen-R) Personal care service providers: reimbursement

Allows a county welfare department to determine that a residential or community care facility for the elderly is the appropriate level of care for an In-Home Supportive Services recipient, who is unable to remain in his/her home, but does not need the services provided in a nursing home.

(In Senate Health and Human Services Committee)

SB 817 (Escutia-D) Health facilities: physician contracts

Authorizes preferential contracts within hospitals when such contracts are necessary to assure physician coverage or to improve medical outcomes.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

SB 856 (Brulte-R) Medi-Cal: reimbursement: dental services

Establishes an anti-fraud pilot project in the Medi-Cal dental services program and requires an evaluation of the Sacramento County Geographic Managed Care Pilot Project dental services program. Also ensures that fee-for-service dental services remain an option for Medi-Cal participants, as specified.

Vetoed by the Governor

SB 866 (Escutia-D) Medi-Cal: reimbursement rates: anesthesia

Requires the director of the State Department of Health Services, notwithstanding any other provision of law, to calculate reimbursement for all anesthesia services based on the highest Medicare conversion factor applicable to California for the base year of 1998 and the proportionate Medi-Cal conversion factors used respectively for physicians and nurse anesthetists.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 880 (Speier-D) Health care: screening tests: reimbursement

Requires health care service plans and disability insurers to reimburse health care providers for mammography and cervical cancer screening tests at a rate equal to or greater than the reimbursement paid by the Medi-Cal program for those services. Requires Medi-Cal to reimburse at a rate no less than the Medicare rate of payment for screening mammography and to reimburse providers at cost for cervical cancer screening.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 1032 (Hughes-D) Medi-Cal: claims

Restricts and defines the authority of the State to recover Medi-Cal costs from heirs, dependents and surviving families.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 1128 (Speier-D) Medi-Cal: provider reimbursement

Authorizes the City and County of San Francisco to receive federal Medicaid supplemental reimbursement for some of the construction costs associated with rebuilding Laguna Honda Hospital.

Chapter 757, Statutes of 1999

SB 1258 (Polanco-D) HIV infected persons: plan enrollment eligibility

  1. Directs the State Department of Health Services to make Medi-Cal beneficiaries with a share-of-cost (that is, Medi-Cal beneficiaries that must pay a portion of the cost of their care each month due based on income) eligible to enroll in Medi-Cal managed care plans. States that its managed care enrollment provisions shall not create a General Fund cost.
  2. Directs the department to pursue a demonstration project that allows individuals who test positive for Human Immunodeficiency Virus but do not meet federal criteria that define a person as disabled to be eligible for the Medi-Cal program.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 127 (Granlund-R) Medi-Cal: orthotics and prosthetics

Establishes a trial program in the Medi-Cal program under which prior authorization requests for orthotic and prosthetic services that have been prescribed by a physician would be reviewed on a preservice, prepayment sampling basis.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 155 (Migden-D) Medi-Cal coverage for workers with disabilities

Until April 1, 2005, and subject to the receipt of federal financial participation, requires the State Department of Health Services to adopt a federal option under which any employed individual whose countable income does not exceed 250 percent of the federal poverty level and who is disabled shall be eligible for benefits under the Medi-Cal program.

Chapter 820, Statutes of 1999

AB 217 (Wildman-D) Health care coverage: Medi-Cal

Directs the State Department of Health Services to develop risk-adjusted capitated rates for treatment of Medi-Cal patients with HIV.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 249 (Papan-D) Medi-Cal: inpatient hospital reimbursement

Permits the California Medical Assistance Commission to consider unreimbursed medical education expenses as a factor when it negotiates Medi-Cal inpatient hospital service contracts with children's hospitals, county hospitals, public university medical centers and private hospitals contracted to provide health services to indigent persons.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 368 (Kuehl-D) Partially sighted persons: prosthetic devices

Requires health care service plans that provide prosthetic devices, disability insurers, and the Medi-Cal program to provide coverage for prosthetic devices for low-vision individuals, as those terms are defined in the bill.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 461 (Hertzberg-D) Physician and dental services: reimbursement levels

Requires the director of the State Department of Health Services to compare California's physician Medicaid (or Medi-Cal) reimbursement rates with those of other large states and report annually to the Legislature on the result of Medi-Cal provider rate reviews.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 469 (Papan-D) Medi-Cal: managed care plans

Makes enrollment in certain Medi-Cal managed health care plans voluntary for aged, blind and disabled recipients of the federal Supplemental Security Program and specified low-income infants and children, and allows Medi-Cal beneficiaries in the California Children's Services program to disenroll from mandatory managed care if certain conditions are met.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 497 (Gallegos-D) Medi-Cal: eligibility

Reduces the Medi-Cal share of cost requirement for medically needy individuals and families by increasing maintenance need income levels and allowing certain deductions from income, as specified.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 499 (Aroner-D) Medi-Cal: assisted living demonstration project

Directs the Medi-Cal program to establish an "assisted living" benefit to persons certified to be eligible for nursing facility placement, or deemed at risk of being placed in a nursing facility. Indicates the benefit should be designed to provide a range of services that enable individuals to remain in the least restrictive or most homelike environment. Also states that the number of individuals who may participate in the program will be determined by the federal Health Care Financing Administration.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 520 (Cedillo-D) Medi-Cal: diabetes treatment

Requires the Medi-Cal program to cover equipment and supplies related to the management and treatment of diabetes. Also requires Medi-Cal to cover 24 hours of diabetes outpatient self-management training and education.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 715 (Firebaugh-D) Medi-Cal: contracts for services and case management

Requires the State Department of Health Services to continue 100 percent cost-based reimbursement for services provided by federally qualified health centers and rural health centers, instead of phasing-out cost-based reimbursement as allowed under federal law.

(On Senate Inactive File)

AB 754 (Aroner-D) Medi-Cal: managed care services

Prohibits the State from recovering or realizing any financial savings resulting from overpayments to Medi-Cal managed care plans caused by the State's delay in establishing rates.

(Returned by the Governor; held at Assembly Desk)

AB 761 (Briggs-R) Medi-Cal: disproportionate share providers

Permits small and rural hospitals with standby emergency rooms to qualify for distributions of emergency services and supplemental payment funds.

Chapter 226, Statutes of 1999

AB 784 (Romero-D) Medi-Cal

  1. Requires any provider of goods or services to provide to the State Department of Health Services (DHS) a bond or other security satisfactory to DHS of an amount determined by DHS, based on an estimation of billing amounts, not less than $25,000.
  2. Allows for a Medi-Cal provider, after three years of continuous operation as a provider, to apply to DHS for an exemption of the above requirement. Requires DHS to establish a mechanism to track rates of participation among providers to determine if the requirement is a deterrent.
  3. Requires every primary Medi-Cal supplier of pharmaceuticals or medical equipment and supplies to maintain certain accounting records related to services provided for Medi-Cal providers.
  4. Extends to all Medi-Cal providers a requirement that durable medical equipment and incontinence suppliers are currently subject to, relating to the payment of interest charges and penalty payments for specified circumstances when an audit uncovers improper claims.
Chapter 993, Statutes of 1999

AB 789 (Campbell-R) Medi-Cal: benefits

Increases the Medi-Cal monthly allowance for personal and incidental needs from not less than $35 to not less than $40 while a patient is (a) in a medical institution or nursing facility, or (b) receiving institutional or non-institutional services, as specified.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 878* (Cardenas-D) Medi-Cal: nonemergency transportation services

Provides for a 10 percent increase to reimbursement rates for nonemergency medical wheelchair van and litter van transportation services under the Medi-Cal program.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 912 (Maldonado-R) Caregiver background checks: fee waiver

Requires the fee charged by the State Department of Justice for the purposes of obtaining a criminal history report to be waived for employers who are recipients of personal care services under the Medi-Cal program, including those receiving services through the In-Home Supportive Service program.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 927 (Cedillo-D) Medi-Cal: prescribed drugs

Requires the State Department of Health Services to develop a process for approving prescriptions for Medi-Cal patients with chronic conditions without prior authorization.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1015 (Gallegos-D) Medi-Cal eligibility

Requires outreach and education grants for community-based organizations, schools and counties to encourage enrollment in health care programs, authorizes local government entities to use California Children and Families First funds to match federal funds to provide health care to children, and expands eligibility for families under the Medi-Cal and Healthy Families programs up to 300 percent of the federal poverty.

(In Senate Insurance Committee)

AB 1061 (McClintock-R) Health coverage

Repeals various health care programs that provide health care and preventive services to low-income persons, and enacts the "Access to Affordable Choice Act" to provide personal income tax credits for qualified medical costs.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 1068 (Ducheny-D) Medi-Cal: provider reimbursement

Requires the State Department of Health Services (DHS) and the California Medical Assistance Commission to update Medi-Cal capitated reimbursement rates within 90 days after regulations are adopted to implement rate increases in the Medi-Cal fee-for-service program. Requires health plans contracting with DHS to pay the actuarial equivalent of the rate increases to all subcontractors rendering the specific services covered by the rate increases.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 1070* (Ducheny-D) Medi-Cal: medical education

Extends the sunset date of the Medi-Cal Medical Education Supplemental Payment Fund, and the Large Teaching Emphasis Hospital and Children's Hospital Medi-Cal Medical Education Supplemental Fund, from June 30, 1999, to June 30, 2000.

(In Senate Health and Human Services Committee)

AB 1072 (Ducheny-D) Medi-Cal: disproportionate share hospital funding

Requires the Legislative Analyst to submit a report to the Legislature identifying any additional source of funds that would satisfy the disproportionate share hospital funding requirement.

(In Senate Rules Committee)

AB 1107* (Cedillo-D) Health Care

A Budget trailer bill which makes the following Medi-Cal program changes:

  1. Inclusion of Working Intact Families-100% of Poverty: Expands Medi-Cal coverage to intact families whose children are already on Medi-Cal and are below 100% of the federal poverty level effective January 1, 2000.
  2. Medi-Cal Provider Anti-Fraud Program: Authorizes the State Department of Health Services (DHS), upon reliable evidence of fraud or willful misrepresentation by a provider, to collect any overpayment identified through an audit or examination from any provider or withhold payment for any goods or services owing to the provider. Provides for disenrollment, in accordance with specified limitations, for providers and prohibits enrollment for provider applicants found to have committed fraud or abuse.
  3. Nursing Homes: Provides for a 5% wage pass-through to nursing home staff effective as of August 1, 1999, and provides for an enhanced staffing ratio (from 2.9 to 3.2) effective January 1, 2000.
  4. Prenatal Care and Long-Term Care: Re-affirms existing state law which provides prenatal care and long-term care services to undocumented individuals.
  5. Simplification of Application Process: Provides for DHS to develop a simplified application process and related forms by no later than July 1, 2000.
  6. Medi-Cal List of Contract Drugs: Extends for one year (to January 1, 2001) provisions in existing law to authorize the DHS to enter into contracts with manufacturers of drugs under the Medi-Cal Program and specifies procedures for the implementation of that authority.
  7. Institutes for Mental Disease (IMD): Provides statutory authority for the provisions in the Budget Bill providing $12.5 million (General Fund) to provide for ancillary medical services to individuals receiving services in certain mental health facilities (i.e., IMDs).
  8. Medi-Cal and Healthy Families Program Outreach: Specifies criteria that the DHS is to use in selecting contractors for purposes of the $21 million (General Fund) contained in the Budget Bill to conduct various outreach activities to enroll children in the Medi-Cal and Healthy Families programs.
  9. Transitional Inpatient Care Program (TIC): Extends for one year the program in existing law providing for Medi-Cal reimbursement for certain patients who have transitioned from an acute care setting to a lower, less intensive, level of care (i.e., TIC).
  10. Graduate Medical Education for Hospitals: Extends for one year the program in existing law providing for the Medi-Cal Medical Education Supplemental Payment Fund for allocation to specified teaching hospitals to assist in off-setting costs associated with medical instruction.
  11. Family Planning, Access, Care and Treatment (Family PACT): Eliminates the sunset for the program in existing law providing for the State-Only Family PACT Program which provides comprehensive clinical family planning services as described, not including abortions or services ancillary to abortions, for women at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.

    Establishes the Family PACT Waiver Program to enable the state to receive a 90% federal fund match for services presently provided under the State-Only Program. Also expands the program to include men. Also provides for Medi-Cal reimbursement for the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines for women of reproductive age and clarifies access to contraceptive services.

  12. California Children's Services (CCS) Program Carve Out: Extends the CCS "carve-out" date for five years, to August 2003.
  13. Disproportionate Share Hospital Program (DSH): Reduces by $30 million the provisions in existing law requiring the transfer of $114.7 million for the "state fee" (i.e., to a total of $84.7 million) and would divide the $30 million equally between the public hospitals and private hospitals. Further, requires DHS, by June 2000, to adjust the DSH calculations in order to allocate these funds accordingly.
  14. Medi-Cal Dental Plans: Provides that when entering into contracts with health care plans that provide comprehensive dental services in a managed care setting, DHS may require the health care plan to pay for the costs of the administrative oversight required to monitor the contract terms of the agreement with the department.
  15. County Administrative Savings: The Budget bill reflects savings of $3 million General Fund by waving the asset test for 1931 (b) beneficiaries. This savings is attributable to reduce administrative processing by the county welfare office and is based on a sample study conducted by the DHS.
  16. Enforcement of Timely Submission and Approval of Treatment Authorization Requests (TARs) and Medi-Cal Claims: Exempts Medi-Cal TARS and claims from Section 3275 of the Civil Code in order to enforce existing regulations to require the timely submission of Medi-Cal TARs and reimbursement claims.
Chapter 146, Statutes of 1999

Similar legislation is SB 107 (Polanco-D) which is in Senate Appropriations Committee.

AB 1111* (Aroner-D) Social services

The Omnibus Social Services Budget trailer bill which makes numerous program changes including: eliminating outpatient drug free services as a benefit under the drug Medi-Cal program, if, as of May 15, 2000, the projected costs for the 1999-00 fiscal year for outpatient drug abuse services exceed $45 million from the State General Fund, and creates separate budget appropriations for drug Medi-Cal and non-drug Medi-Cal services.

Chapter 147, Statutes of 1999

AB 1161 (Soto-D) Medi-Cal: nursing facilities

Revises the statement that explains the asset and income requirements for Medi-Cal eligibility in a nursing facility.

Chapter 227, Statutes of 1999

AB 1209* (Assembly Health Committee) Medi-Cal: disproportionate share hospitals

Revises the disproportionate share hospital funding distribution formula in accordance with the revised Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage.

Chapter 44, Statutes of 1999

AB 1250 (Ashburn-R) Medi-Cal: hospital reimbursement

Authorizes the State Department of Health Services (DHS) to negotiate a settlement with Good Samaritan Hospital of Bakersfield for Medi-Cal's overpayment for psychiatric treatment services provided during the period of 1992 to 1994, and authorizes DHS to waive all or part of the overpayments.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1297 (Firebaugh-D) Medi-Cal providers: loans

Establishes the Local Initiative Traditional and Safety Net Loan Assistance Account in the State Treasury, and states legislative intent to establish a program to assist these providers in securing low interest financing. Repeals current law that establishes a similar program for providers that contract with the Los Angeles Care Health Plan.

(In Senate Health and Human Services Committee)

AB 1298 (Firebaugh-D) Medi-Cal: benefits: hearing tests

Requires Medi-Cal coverage for hearing aids to include coverage for any necessary hearing tests, whether performed by a physician, a licensed audiologist, or a licensed hearing aid dispenser, when acting within his/her scope of practice.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 1310 (Granlund-R) Medi-Cal: orthotics and prosthetics

Eliminates the current requirement in the Medi-Cal program for treatment authorization requests for specified orthotic and prosthetic devices and repairs and instead establishes a trial program under which orthotic and prosthetic services that have been prescribed by a physician would be viewed on a preservice, prepayment sampling basis.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 1353 (Assembly Health Committee) Medi-Cal: disproportionate share provider hospitals

Revises the eligibility criteria that are required to be met in order for hospitals with a disproportionately higher cost, volume, or service related to the provision of services to Medi-Cal or other low-income patients, to qualify for reimbursement for funding capital projects.

Chapter 701, Statutes of 1999

AB 1513 (Florez-D) Health facilities: general acute care hospitals

Prohibits the State Department of Health Services from interpreting existing law and regulations pertaining to the licensure of general acute care hospitals to prohibit two or more hospitals that maintain separate hospital licenses and that are operated under common ownership or management from having a single governing body, administration, or medical staff.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 1561 (Aanestad-R) Medi-Cal services: Rural health

Requires small and rural hospitals to be reimbursed for all reasonable costs of providing Medi-Cal services, as specified; requires various changes in the procedures used in determining reimbursement rates for small and rural hospitals; modifies audit requirements; and imposes penalties on the State Department of Health Services for failure to meet certain timelines, as specified.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

TopIndex Mental Health

SB 163 (Hughes-D) Adult abuse

Creates a pilot project to reduce incidences of financial abuse perpetrated against mentally impaired elders.

Vetoed by the Governor

SB 405 (Ortiz-D) Suicide treatment and prevention

Enacts the California Suicide Prevention Act of 1999, to require the State Department of Mental Health to establish and implement, or contract with an outside agency for development of, a multi-county, 24-hour, centralized, seamless suicide crisis line integrated network.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 468 (Polanco-D) Health care coverage: mental illness

Requires health insurers to cover most forms of mental illness under the same rates, terms and conditions as applied to other medical conditions.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 487 (Wright-R) Children's Mental Health Services Act

Appropriates $19.4 million from the General Fund to the State Department of Mental Health for purposes of expansion of children's mental health services under the Children's Mental Health Services Act.

(In Senate Health and Human Services Committee)

SB 745 (Escutia-D) Mental health: contracts: disputes

Requires the State Department of Mental health to require each Medi-Cal mental health plan to enter into a memorandum of understanding with each Medi-Cal physical health plan operating in the same county and serving some of the same recipients as the mental health plan to establish guidelines and a mechanism to determine responsibility for paying for medications prescribed by providers in the mental health plan. Provides that if no agreement is in place, medications may be reimbursed on a fee-for-service basis, and the State Department of Health Services is to deduct from the responsible plan's monthly payments the cost of these medications. Also requires each county to ensure that children placed in foster care in other counties will have access to outpatient mental health services.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

SB 936 (Ortiz-D) Mental health: older adults

Requires the State Department of Mental Health to establish at least three interagency systems of care for older adult demonstration projects and allows local mental health account funds to be used for such purposes.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 1113 (Haynes-R) Mental health: community treatment facility pilot project

Extends the sunset date for a pilot project in Riverside County pertaining to children in foster care group homes.

(In Assembly Human Services Committee)

SB 1143 (Chesbro-D) Mental health: seclusion and restraints

Requires a facility that uses seclusion or physical restraints to report quarterly to the local mental health director, who is required to transmit a copy to the director of the State Mental Health Department, the number of persons in specified categories who were treated or received surgery.

(In Senate Health and Human Services Committee)

AB 34* (Steinberg-D) Mental health funding: local grants

Establishes new county demonstration programs, building upon existing county programs serving adults who are severely mentally ill, homeless, or recently released from a correctional institution.

Chapter 617, Statutes of 1999

AB 52 (Cedillo-D) Noncitizens

Provides that any person who would have been eligible for various health programs (including programs to administer health and mental health services to children and adults) on July 16, 1996, shall continue to be eligible, regardless of their immigration status.

(On Senate Inactive File)

AB 88 (Thomson-D) Health care coverage: mental illness

Requires a health care service plan contract or disability insurance policy to provide coverage for the severe mental illnesses of a person of any age, and for the serious emotional disturbances of a child.

Chapter 534, Statutes of 1999

AB 1107* (Cedillo-D) Health care

The Budget trailer bill to make changes to specified health programs, including enabling the State Department of Mental Health, in consultation with the California Mental Health Directors Association, to use the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Block Grant funds for the development of innovative programs for identified target populations upon appropriation by the Legislature.

Chapter 146, Statutes of 1999

AB 1492 (Thomson-D) Traumatic brain injury project

Extends through 2005 the existing demonstration program that provides post-acute services to persons who have experienced traumatic brain injuries. Also authorizes expanding the program from four to eight sites to the extent that funds are available. Requires the establishment of a working group to develop requests for proposals and evaluate bids. Requires the State Department of Mental Health to develop an independent evaluation of the project sites to assess the degree of community reintegration of clients, improvement in employability, client and family satisfaction, and services provided.

Chapter 1023, Statutes of 1999

TopIndex Developmentally Disabled

SB 156 (Figueroa-D) Child development: California Early Start Program

Modifies the California Early Intervention Services Act under which the Early Start Program provides services through a coordinated interagency system, to children from birth to age three who are at risk of developmental delay.

Vetoed by the Governor

SB 569 (Alarcon-D) Employment of persons with disabilities

Creates a three-year pilot program in Los Angeles County to provide vocational services to disabled clients.

Chapter 861, Statutes of 1999

SB 846 (Escutia-D) Human services: individuals with disabilities

Establishes the Californians with Disabilities Act that requires the Health and Human Services Agency to work with the State Department of Fair Employment and Housing and State Department of Justice in implementing the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Requires the State Department of Rehabilitation to evaluate its order of selection process to ensure continuity of services.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 1104* (Chesbro-D) Developmental services

Adjusts rates for in-home respite and day programs, and designates use of funds in the Developmental Disabilities Services Account.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 52 (Cedillo-D) Noncitizens

Provides that any person who would have been eligible for various health programs (including services to persons with developmental disabilities through the State Department of Developmental Services and regional centers) on July 16, 1996, shall continue to be eligible, regardless of their immigration status.

(On Senate Inactive File)

AB 359 (Aroner-D) Developmentally disabled persons: health care

Creates a pilot program to allow 10 intermittent skilled nursing care (intermediate care facility/developmentally disabled-nursing) to provide continuous skilled nursing care.

Chapter 845, Statutes of 1999

AB 373* (Robert Pacheco-R) State developmental centers

  1. Prohibits the State Department of Developmental Services (DDS) from expending funds previously appropriated for the construction of security improvements at Lanterman Developmental Center.
  2. Prohibits, until July 1, 2000, the placement of any developmentally disabled forensic or severe behavior patients at Lanterman Developmental Center, the hiring of additional staff related to the transfer of these patients, or the construction of security improvements.
  3. Requires DDS, by February 1, 2000, to report to the Legislature on the planned transfer of forensic and severe behavior patients to Lanterman Developmental Center and the impact of these transfers on the surrounding communities, the patients being transferred, and the patients currently at the developmental center.
(Failed passage in Assembly Human Services Committee; reconsideration granted)

AB 523 (Wildman-D) Developmental services: employees

Requires establishment of a job classification and wage scale structure for employees in community-based programs serving developmentally disabled adults.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 866 (Aroner-D) Developmentally disabled persons: health care

Expands the definition of intermediate care facility/developmentally disabled-nursing to include facilities that provide nursing supervision and treatment for persons with developmental disabilities who may require continuous care, and requires the State Department of Health Services to develop a reimbursement rate for such care to avoid transfer or placement at a higher level of service.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1106 (Assembly Human Services Committee) Developmental services: regional center alternatives

Extends the sunset date on the authorization of "service delivery alternatives" for persons with developmental disabilities.

Chapter 369, Statutes of 1999

AB 1107* (Cedillo-D) Health care

The budget trailer bill to make changes to specified health programs including the following relating to developmental services:

  1. Recasts the service coordinator to consumer ratio for regional centers by doing the following:
    1. Defines what a service coordinator position means.
    2. Provides for an overall ratio of 1 to 62 for consumers who have not moved from a developmental center to the community since April 14, 1993 (i.e., Coffelt Settlement date).
    3. Requires that no service coordinator have in excess of 79 consumers (i.e., not from a developmental center) for more than 60 days.
    4. Provides for a 1 to 45 ratio for consumers who have moved from a developmental center.
    5. Requires that no service coordinator have in excess of 59 consumers who have moved from a developmental center for more than 60 days.
    6. Requires regional centers who substantially deviate from these requirements to obtain a waiver from the State Department of Developmental Services (DDS).
    7. Requires the DDS to provide technical assistance and a plan of correction for any regional center that for two consecutive reporting periods fails to maintain service coordinator caseload ratios as required.
    8. Requires the DDS to report to the Legislature by December 15, 1999, regarding the Regional Center Core Staffing Study.
  2. Provides for a three percent rate increase and the pass-through of the cost-of-living adjustment in the SSI/SSP for 1999-2000.
  3. Requires DDS to develop policies and procedures, by no later than 30 days following the effective date of the Budget Act of 1999, at each developmental center to notify law enforcement agencies in the event of a forensic client walkaway or escape. Requires local law enforcement to review these policies and procedures prior to final implementation by the department.

    In addition, provides that if an individual with a developmental disability has been charged with a violent felony, or has been committed to a developmental center pursuant to the penal code, the department shall give priority to placing the individual at Porterville developmental center prior to placement at any other developmental center.

  4. Eliminates the January 1, 2000, sunset clause contained in the Early Start Program thereby enabling the State to obtain over $40.
Chapter 146, Statutes of 1999

AB 1146 (Soto-D) Developmentally disabled adults

Requires the State Department of Developmental Services to establish a pilot project in the Inland Regional Center to allow adult consumers living in their family homes to receive supportive living services and the parent of an adult consumer to be eligible for vendorization as a provider of supportive living services whether or not the consumer is living in the place of residence of the parent. Limits the reimbursement rate that may be paid to a parent. Requires the State Department of Developmental Services to report to the Legislature on whether the pilot project is successful.

(In Assembly Human Services Committee)

AB 1257 (Strom-Martin-D) Developmental disabilities: admissions to facilities

States legislative intent to enact uniform judicial review procedures for involuntary commitments of people with developmental disabilities.

(In Senate Rules Committee)

AJR 17 (Aroner-D) Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999

Urges the U.S. Congress to pass the Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 in order to meet the urgent demands of people with disabilities who work or want to work across the nation.

Resolution Chapter 77, Statutes of 1999

TopIndex Tobacco Products

SB 748 (Dunn-D) Tobacco settlement

Requires all moneys received by the State from the master tobacco settlement to be used for health-related services and insurance for low-income people and for prevention of tobacco consumption.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 822 (Escutia-D) Tobacco product settlement

Among other things, requires any tobacco manufacturer selling cigarettes to consumers within the State to either (1) become a participating manufacturer under the terms of the settlement agreement entered into by the State and certain tobacco manufacturers and perform its financial obligations under the settlement, or (2) place an amount of funds calculated on the basis of units of tobacco products sold into an escrow fund each year.

Chapter 780, Statutes of 1999

SB 824 (Sher-D) Tobacco-related illness: evidence

Allows the use of statistical evidence, upon establishing a proper foundation to show the correlation between tobacco use and resulting illness in any aggregate or class action brought by any party to show or disprove the correlation between tobacco use and resulting illnesses, and to show proof of, or disprove, causation and damages.

(On Senate Inactive File)

SB 1180 (Speier-D) Cigarettes and tobacco products

Prohibits retail sale of tobacco products in California without a license. Authorizes the State Department of Health to develop and process applications, specifies content of applications, imposes a fee of $100 per year per place of business for each license, and requires tobacco retailers to apply for and hold a valid license. Also makes retail sale of tobacco to minors subject to penalties.

(Failed passage in Senate Health and Human Services Committee)

SB 1192 (Polanco-D) Health facility financing: tobacco settlement funds

Requires the County of Los Angeles to identify sufficient funds from the county's share of the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement to supplement existing funds for the purpose of rebuilding Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 100 (Thomson-D) Tobacco Settlement Fund

Creates the Thomson, Dunn and Escutia Tobacco Settlement Fund in the State Treasury as a repository, commencing July 1, 2000, for the state share of all funds received from the tobacco litigation Master Settlement Agreement of 1998. Restricts the use of these funds to expansion of health and health care services.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 112 (Florez-D) Local government: tobacco settlement

Requires the State Treasurer to establish a special fund for deposit of local tobacco settlement revenues and authorizes local governments to assign or sell such revenues.

(In Senate Health and Human Services Committee)

AB 251 (Davis-D) Tobacco settlement: heart disease and cancer

Allocates $10 million annually in tobacco settlement funding to establish and administer three women's heart disease programs focused on research, awareness and education and prevention, and appropriates another $10 million annually in tobacco settlement funding for clinical cancer genetic risk assessment programs and cancer research centers.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 255 (Torlakson-D) Tobacco litigation settlement funds

Dedicates an unspecified annual appropriation from tobacco settlement funds to the State Department of Health Services to fund the California Smokers Helpline and award grants on a competitive basis to provide smoking cessation programs for teenagers.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 437 (Wesson-D) Tobacco: sale to minors: enforcement

Continuously appropriates $2 million in each fiscal year from the General Fund to the State Department of Health Services for the Stop Tobacco Access to Kids Enforcement program.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 708 (Vincent-D) Parks and recreation: youth recreation: funding grants

Establishes a program and fund to provide grant funding to public agencies and nonprofit organizations for youth recreation and enrichment programs and facilities. Designates that at least one percent of tobacco settlement funds expected to be available to the State be used to partially fund the program.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 887 (Jackson-D) Tobacco settlement: Access to Care Fund

Creates a fund in the state treasury for deposit of a portion of the State's proceeds from the national tobacco settlement litigation to be continuously appropriated for the purpose of reimbursing community clinics for additional health care services and smoking cessation programs to low-income individuals.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1071 (Soto-D) Health programs: tobacco settlement funds

Expresses legislative intent to spend 5% of the state's share of tobacco settlement funds on direct health care services to uninsured children and prenatal care through pilot projects. States legislative intent that the development of the Pomona Valley Direct Health Care Service Delivery Partnership Project by Pomona United School District serve as a model for statewide replication.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1159 (Granlund-R) Smoking: bars, taverns, clubs

Makes technical changes to existing law which, with delineated exceptions, prohibits smoking of tobacco products in enclosed spaces at places of employment.

(In Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 1216 (Floyd-D) Workplace smoking prohibition

Notwithstanding existing restrictions on smoking tobacco products in enclosed spaces at places of employment, authorizes a gaming club, bar, or tavern to permit patrons to smoke if certain conditions are met, including, among others, that all employees consent in writing at the time the gaming club, bar, or tavern elects to permit smoking, the employees are not required to work in an area where smoking is permitted, that a specified notice regarding smoking is posted, that the primary purpose of the establishment is either the serving of alcoholic beverages or the conduct of controlled gambling, as defined, and that certain air quality equipment is installed.

(Failed passage in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 1595 (Migden-D) Cigar labeling

Requires each manufacturer or importer of cigars to place, or cause to be placed, one of three specified warning labels on each retail package of cigars packaged for sale after September 1, 2000, and shipped for distribution in California.

Chapter 693, Statutes of 1999

TopIndex Health Facilities

SB 97 (Burton-D) Health facilities

Prohibits a health facility from discriminating against a patient or employee who presents a grievance or cooperates in any investigation against that facility.

Chapter 155, Statutes of 1999

SB 188* (Leslie-R) Drugs: hospitals: physicians

Allows specified hospitals to dispense drugs to certain outpatients of the hospital if a retail pharmacy is not reasonably available to the patient.

Chapter 900, Statutes of 1999

SB 349 (Figueroa-D) Emergency services and care

Defines emergency services and care to include screening, examination, and evaluation to determine if a psychiatric emergency medical condition exists.

Chapter 544, Statutes of 1999

SB 595 (Speier-D) Outpatient settings

Directs the Medical Board of California to adopt a new standard that subjects outpatient surgery settings to accreditation requirements, repeals the standard in current law, and establishes a more stringent standard in the event the board does not act by November 1, 2000. Also prohibits the administration of anesthesia in outpatient settings except as authorized by regulations the board adopts to implement the standard. In addition, establishes staffing requirements for such outpatient settings.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 784 (Baca-D) Surplus state property: state hospitals: Indian tribes

Requires the director of the State Department of General Services, in the event that a state hospital is permanently closed or taken out of service, to give the same priority provided to local governmental agencies to acquire surplus state land, to any federally recognized Indian tribe located within seven miles of the facility, under terms that would be no less favorable, if any, than those available to any city or county government under state law.

(In Senate Governmental Organization Committee)

SB 819 (Sher-D) El Camino Hospital District

Prohibits El Camino Hospital from transferring or leasing any assets of El Camino Hospital to any for-profit or nonprofit corporation, unless the proposed transfer or lease is approved by a majority of the voters of the district. Is applicable only to the potential transfer of assets by El Camino Hospital Corporation.

Chapter 151, Statutes of 1999

SB 837 (Figueroa-D) Cosmetic surgery: facilities

Requires cosmetic surgery procedures to be performed in a licensed general acute care hospital or in a licensed or accredited outpatient surgery setting.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 1021 (Figueroa-D) Health facilities

Allows Children's Hospital, Oakland, to operate pediatric beds at St. Rose Hospital in Hayward and Valley Care Hospital in Pleasanton.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 1054 (Haynes-R) Hospitals: medical staff

Prohibits hospitals from denying staff privileges to a physician on the basis of anything but the physician's individual qualifications.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

SB 1087 (Kelley-R) Municipal hospital governing board: conflicts of interest

Provides that a municipal hospital ex officio non-voting board officer who is a member of the hospital's medical or allied health professional staff is not "financially interested" in certain board approved contracts for purposes of prohibitions against conflicts of interest.

(On Assembly Inactive File)

SB 1192 (Polanco-D) Health facility financing

Requires the County of Los Angeles to identify sufficient funds from the county's share of the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement to supplement existing funds for the purpose of rebuilding Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 1193 (Knight-R) Clinics: grants-in-aid

Specifies that any community clinic which has been in operation for one year shall be eligible to receive grants under the grant-in-aid program for community and free clinics.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

SB 1291 (Polanco-D) Health care: scope of practice

Provides that the purchase of billing, administrative, or other services from a hospital, management services organization, or other entity owned by a health care facility shall be deemed compensation for the referral of patients if the consideration paid for those services exceeds their fair market value at the time the contract is created, and the contract makes adjustments for annual inflation or cost of living increases.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 26 (Migden-D) Domestic partners

Provides for the definition, registration and termination of a domestic partnership with the Secretary of State, provides an option for state and local public employers to extend health benefits to domestic partners under the Public Employees' Medical and Hospital Care Act, and specifies domestic partner hospital visitation rights.

Chapter 588, Statutes of 1999

AB 82 (Cunneen-R) Hospitals: medical staff contracts

Requires any general acute, or psychiatric hospital to present justification for, and to receive medical staff comments regarding, the appropriateness of engaging in exclusive contracting for medical services.

(In Senate Health and Human Services Committee)

AB 254 (Cedillo-D) Health facilities: sale of assets

Requires nonprofit health facilities to obtain the consent of the Attorney General prior to the sale, transfer or lease of a material amount of assets to another nonprofit corporation.

Chapter 850, Statutes of 1999

AB 263* (Gallegos-D) Hospital facilities

Specifies that regulations regarding hospital seismic safety submitted by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development by January 1, 2001, to the California Building Standards Commission are emergency regulations.

Chapter 192, Statutes of 1999

AB 271 (Gallegos-D) Health care

Requires physicians to carry malpractice insurance for surgery performed outside of acute care hospitals, requires minimum staffing levels for some outpatient procedures, and requires physicians to report to the Medical Board of California any death or serious hospitalization of a patient resulting from certain procedures.

Chapter 944, Statutes of 1999

AB 282 (Torlakson-D) Health facility construction loan insurance

Modifies eligibility for the Cal-Mortgage health facility loan program and adjusts program fees based on risk.

Chapter 848, Statutes of 1999

AB 394 (Kuehl-D) Health facilities: nursing staff

  1. Requires the State Department of Health Services to adopt regulations specifying nurse-to-patient ratios for general acute care hospitals, acute psychiatric hospitals and special hospitals; and requires those hospitals to adopt written policies and procedures for nursing staff training.
  2. Prohibits hospitals from assigning unlicensed personnel to perform nursing functions in lieu of a registered nurse, and unlicensed personnel from performing certain functions, including administration of medication, venipuncture, invasive procedures, and more.
  3. Allows necessary waivers of nurse-to-patient ratios for rural hospitals, as long as the health, safety, and well-being of patients affected are not jeopardized.
Chapter 945, Statutes of 1999

AB 421 (Aroner-D) Health facilities: license suspension and revocation

Prohibits the State Department of Health Services from approving the downgrade or closure of an urban hospital emergency department, if a county or its designated emergency services agency concludes that it would not be in the best interest of the community.

(On Assembly Inactive File)

AB 525 (Kuehl-D) Health benefits

  1. Requires the Attorney General's review of hospital mergers to consider the impact of the merger on patient access to the full range of reproductive health services, as well as emergency, urgent care and indigent care services.
  2. Requires that, in order to receive taxpayer dollars through the California Health Care Facilities Financing Authority Act and Cal-Mortgage Loan Insurance programs, hospitals and other health care providers licensed to provide reproductive health services must give assurances they will make available all reproductive health services.
  3. Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation in the scope of health services provided by health facilities and in the scope of health benefits provided by indemnity, Knox-Keene, and Medi-Cal managed care plans, as well as in the California Health Care Facilities Financing Authority Act and the Cal-Mortgage Loan Insurance program.
  4. Respects religious health care providers' rights to adhere to religious principles and does not require religious hospitals or other health care providers to provide services that are inconsistent with their religious beliefs.
(On Assembly Inactive File)

AB 549 (Gallegos-D) Hospital mortgage insurance

Permits the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, at the request of a hospital, to commission an independent study of market need and feasibility, as required for participation in federal mortgage insurance programs. Requires the costs of a study to be paid for by the requesting hospital.

Chapter 825, Statutes of 1999

AB 675 (Thomson-D) Health facilities: registered nurses

Requires hospitals to provide sufficient staff to ensure patient safety, to implement a patient classification system, and adapt that system to changing circumstances. Makes specified changes regarding registered nurses and health facilities to ensure safe patient care.

(On Assembly Inactive File)

AB 791 (Thomson-D) Healing arts: pain management

Requires health facilities to include pain as an item to be assessed at the same time patient vital signs are taken. Additionally, requires health facilities to ensure that pain assessment is performed in a manner that is appropriate to a patient.

Chapter 403, Statutes of 1999

AB 835 (Villaraigosa-D) County medical facilities

Requires the county board of supervisors to establish procedures, by regulation, to be followed when a county medical facility level of service is to be reduced as a result of a process of reconstruction.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 844 (Thomson-D) California Health Facilities Financing Authority: loans

Authorizes the California Health Facilities Financing Authority to loan participating health institutions funds for working capital or refinance of indebtedness. Allows the authority to use fee proceeds from large hospital bond issues to fund guaranteed loans to small and rural facilities.

Chapter 842, Statutes of 1999

AB 893 (Alquist-D) Long-term care facilities: consumer information

Requires the State Department of Health Services to provide specified information on the Internet regarding long-term care facilities, and appropriates $100,000 from the General Fund for this purpose.

Chapter 430, Statutes of 1999

AB 894 (Alquist-D) Skilled nursing facilities

Provides that if the attending physician of a resident in a skilled nursing facility prescribes or orders a medical intervention that requires informed consent, the physician shall, in addition to obtaining consent from the resident, notify the next of kin within 48 hours of the order or the increase of an order. Provides that no notification is required if certain circumstances exist.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 906 (Maldonado-R) Battery: state hospital patient

Makes it an alternate felony/misdemeanor for any patient housed in a security area of a state hospital to commit a battery against and inflict injury upon another person.

(Failed passage in Assembly Public Safety Committee)

AB 1227 (Runner-R) Hospitals

Requires all funds received by the State from the master tobacco settlement to be used to seismically retrofit hospital buildings.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1302 (Thomson-D) Not-for-profit hospitals

Requires hospitals subject to reporting community needs assessment to also report any benefits provided by the hospital's affiliated clinics.

(At Senate Desk)

TopIndex Health Professionals

SB 7 (Figueroa-D) Healing arts: physicians

Provides that any person who makes a decision regarding medical necessity or appropriateness that denies, significantly delays, terminates or otherwise limits, in whole or in part, any diagnosis, treatment, operation or prescription made by a physician or surgeon without a license to practice medicine is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

Similar legislation is AB 58 (Davis-D) which was vetoed by the Governor.

SB 18 (Figueroa-D) Health care

Makes it a misdemeanor to make specified health care decisions without a license to practice healing arts, and requires health plans and health insurers to take specified actions and make specified disclosures.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 125 (Haynes-R) Healing arts: social workers

Eliminates the oral examinations administered by the State Board of Behavioral Sciences in the State Department of Consumer Affairs for licensed clinical social workers and marriage, family, and child counselors.

(In Senate Business and Professions Committee)

SB 137 (Knight-R) Board of Behavioral Sciences: substance abuse testing

Requires the State Board of Behavioral Sciences to perform substance abuse testing on social worker and family counselor licensees and applicants.

(Failed passage in Senate Business and Professions Committee; reconsideration granted)

SB 188* (Leslie-R) Drugs: hospitals: physicians

Allows specified hospitals to dispense drugs to certain outpatients of the hospital if a retail pharmacy is not reasonably available to the patient.

Chapter 900, Statutes of 1999

SB 224 (Baca-D) Seniors, veterans and disabled health care

Establishes the Seniors', Veterans', and Disabled Health Care Protection Act of 1999, which requires the State Department of Health Services to license and regulate nurses' registries, other than those providing private duty nursing employment services. Requires the department to adopt regulations to carry out the requirements of this bill, as emergency regulations, and authorizes the department to assess nurses' registries a fee for licensure and renewal, not to exceed the actual cost of drafting and amending the regulations adopted by the department. Further requires the department to suspend or revoke the license of any nurses' registry that fails to comply with the adopted regulations.

(In Senate Business and Professions Committee)

SB 308* (Escutia-D) Nurses

Eliminates the sunset dates of the Registered Nurse Education Program and the related authorization for the $5 biennial assessment used to support this program, and deletes the word "minority" throughout the Minority Health Professions Education Foundation statutes.

Chapter 149, Statutes of 1999

SB 404 (Alpert-D) Pharmacy

Authorizes a pharmacist to initiate emergency contraception drug therapy in accordance with written guidelines or protocols previously established and approved for his or her practice by a practitioner authorized to prescribe drugs.

(In Senate Business and Professions Committee)

SB 450 (Speier-D) Physicians and surgeons: advertising: plastic surgery

Clarifies current law governing use of certain professional affiliations in advertising, and requires the Medical Board of California to adopt extraction standards for body liposuction procedures performed outside of a general acute care hospital.

Chapter 631, Statutes of 1999

SB 466 (Perata-D) Acupuncture

Adds the term "techniques of oriental medicine" to the Acupuncture Licensure Act and defines the term as the diagnostic and treatment techniques used in oriental medicine, and the prescription or administration of herbs, drugless substances, and dietary supplements to promote health.

(In Senate Business and Professions Committee)

SB 490 (Kelley-R) Veterinary medicine: records

  1. Prohibits a veterinarian from disclosing information concerning an animal receiving veterinary services, the client responsible for the animal, or the care itself, unless authorized to do so by the client, by court order, to comply with other laws or regulations, or to share information with other veterinarians regarding care of the animal.
  2. Specifies that all information obtained from a dog owner to comply with rabies control provisions is confidential to the owner and proprietary to the veterinarian.
Chapter 418, Statutes of 1999

SB 585 (Chesbro-D) Clinical laboratories

Conforms state clinical laboratory law with federal regulations that permit specified health care providers to perform microscopy procedures.

Chapter 70, Statutes of 1999

SB 595 (Speier-D) Outpatient settings

Directs the Medical Board of California to adopt a new standard that subjects outpatient surgery settings to accreditation requirements, repeals the standard in current law, and establishes a more stringent standard in the event the board does not act by November 1, 2000. Also prohibits the administration of anesthesia in outpatient settings except as authorized by regulations the board adopts to implement the standard. In addition, establishes staffing requirements for such.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 651 (Burton-D) Registered pharmacists

Provides that a person employed in the practice of pharmacy is not exempt from coverage under any provision of the wage orders of the Industrial Welfare Commission, unless he or she individually meets the criteria established for exemption as executive or administrative employees.

Chapter 190, Statutes of 1999

SB 759 (Johannessen-R) Assault: paramedic: rescue personnel

Makes the penalty for an assault on an Emergency Medical Technician or a rescue provider to be the same as for an assault on a peace officers or firefighter.

(Failed passage in Senate Public Safety Committee)

SB 765 (Schiff-D) Biological specimens

Requires every licensed health care professional who collects human biological specimens for clinical testing to secure those specimens in a locked container when the specimens are placed in a public location, and requires clinical laboratory employees who retrieve the specimens for testing to notify the licensee and the appropriate licensing entity, by means of a form prepared by the State Department of Health Services, upon discovering that a specimen was not properly secured.

Chapter 748, Statutes of 1999

SB 809 (O'Connell-D) Licensing

Establishes a statute of limitations for accusations brought against licensees of the State Board of Behavioral Sciences, the State Board of Psychology, and the State Board of Respiratory Care.

Chapter 459, Statutes of 1999

SB 816 (Escutia-D) Physician assistants and nurse practitioners

Revises existing provisions of law permitting nurse practitioners and physician assistants to furnish prescription drugs under the supervision of a physician to clarify that it is a prescribing activity for purposes of registering with the United States Drug Enforcement Authority.

Chapter 749, Statutes of 1999

SB 835 (Figueroa-D) Cosmetic surgery: education and training

Enacts the Cosmetic Surgery Patient Disclosure Act, which requires physicians who perform cosmetic surgery, as defined, to provide the Medical Board of California with specified information, including training, board certifications, and number of procedures performed, and requires the Medical Board of California to make this information available to the public upon request and post the information on the Internet.

Vetoed by the Governor

SB 836 (Figueroa-D) Advertising: truthfulness: referral services

Revises and expands the prohibition against fraudulent advertising by health care professionals.

Chapter 856, Statutes of 1999

SB 837 (Figueroa-D) Cosmetic surgery: facilities

Requires cosmetic surgery procedures to be performed in a licensed acute care hospital or in a licensed or accredited outpatient surgery setting.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 838 (Figueroa-D) Vocations: Pharmacy Law

Clarifies that the State Board of Pharmacy may "register" a nonresident pharmacy that is organized in its home state as a limited liability company.

Chapter 73, Statutes of 1999

SB 888 (Ortiz-D) EMT personnel: licensure

Expands the membership of the Commission on Emergency Medical Services from 16 to 19 members.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 929 (Polanco-D) Optometry

Provides that the practice of optometry includes the prevention, diagnosis, management, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders and dysfunctions of the visual system. Revises the conditions set forth in current law under which certified optometrists may treat the human eye, and enlarges the list of pharmaceutical agents that may be used. Also authorizes the State Board of Optometry to adopt and administer regulations that establish standards for the use of pharmaceutical agents or devices for the diagnosis and treatment of additional conditions.

(In Senate Business and Professions Committee)

SB 1045 (Murray-D) Healing arts

Changes licensing fees for physicians by an unspecified amount; revises the Medical Board of California's disciplinary authority; and makes other related changes.

(In Senate Business and Professions Committee)

SB 1215 (Perata-D) Dental professionals

Creates a State Board of Allied Dental Health Professionals, and provides for the licensure and regulation of dental assistants and other auxiliary dental professionals by this new board. Also revises the definition of the practice that may be undertaken by dental hygienists.

(In Senate Business and Professions Committee)

SB 1287 (Murray-D) Occupational therapy: licensure

Creates state licensure for the practice of occupational therapy and occupational therapists by a new California Board of Occupational Therapy.

Vetoed by the Governor

SB 1291 (Polanco-D) Health care: scope of practice

Provides that the purchase of billing, administrative, or other services from a hospital, management services organization, or other entity owned by a health care facility shall be deemed compensation for the referral of patients if the consideration paid for those services exceeds their fair market value at the time the contract is created, and the contract makes adjustments for annual inflation or cost of living increases.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

SB 1305 (Figueroa-D) Medical malpractice settlements: report

Requires the Medical Board of California to study medical malpractice settlements and patterns of claims or actions for damages for death or personal injury, as specified, and prepare a report to the Legislature no later than July 1, 2001. Appropriates $150,000 from the contingent fund of the board for the purposes of this bill.

(In Assembly Consumer Protection, Governmental Efficiency and Economic Development Committee)

SB 1308 (Senate Business And Professions Committee) Healing arts: licensees

Makes changes to the regulation of various health care professionals, including acupuncturists, dentists, midwives, pharmacists, physicians, podiatrists, psychiatric technicians, psychologists, registered nurses, and vocational nurses.

Chapter 655, Statutes of 1999

AB 58 (Davis-D) Health care practitioners

Provides that, except as specified, any person who makes a decision regarding medical necessity or appropriateness that denies, significantly delays, terminates, or otherwise limits, in whole or in part, any diagnosis treatment, operation, or prescription without possessing at the time of so doing a valid, unrevoked, or unsuspended certificate to practice medicine is guilty of a misdemeanor.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 124 (Ackerman-R) Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board

Re-establishes the existence of the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board on January 1, 2000, and makes other related changes.

Chapter 436, Statutes of 1999

AB 141 (Knox-D) Pharmacies

Requires the State Board of Pharmacy to conduct a study of the incidence of medication errors in pharmacies and to issue a report of its findings to the Legislature by December 1, 2004.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 231 (Battin-R) Acupuncture

Establishes the Acupuncture Detox Specialists Pilot Program to allow specified unlicensed persons to perform, under licensed supervision, a specific acupuncture procedure on the ear for the treatment of a chemical dependence.

(Failed passage in Assembly Health Committee; reconsideration granted)

AB 253 (Thomson-D) Licensing

Requires applicants for licensure as marriage and family therapists to complete graduate coursework in psychological testing and psychopharmacology.

Chapter 406, Statutes of 1999

AB 256 (Zettel-R) Waived laboratory directors

Permits the laboratory director of a registered laboratory performing only tests classified as waived under the federal Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 to delegate the responsibility for quality oversight of the laboratory to a technical consultant meeting specified criteria, and specifies the responsibilities of the technical consultant.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 261 (Lempert-D) Pharmacists

Expands the ability of pharmacists to perform specified activities, including adjusting drug regimens, by allowing them to perform these activities in more circumstances than are currently authorized.

Chapter 375, Statutes of 1999

AB 265 (Davis-D) Physicians and surgeons: license fees

Increases license fees paid by physicians and surgeons to the Medical Board of California from the current maximum of $600 to a maximum of $690. Provides that the fees are assessed for an initial license and every two years for renewals.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 271 (Gallegos-D) Health care

Requires physicians to carry malpractice insurance of surgery performed outside of acute care hospitals, requires minimum staffing levels for some outpatient procedures, and requires physicians to report to the Medical Board of California any death or serious hospitalization of a patient resulting from certain procedures.

Chapter 944, Statutes of 1999

AB 352 (Migden-D) Professional licensing

Requires the State Board of Behavioral Science Examiners to maintain a central file of licensees and expands the definition of a peer review body to include professional organizations for marriage and family therapists.

Chapter 252, Statutes of 1999

AB 394 (Kuehl-D) Health facilities: nursing staff

Requires the State Department of Health Services to adopt regulations specifying nurse-to-patient ratios for general acute care hospitals, acute psychiatric hospitals and special hospitals; and requires those hospitals to adopt written policies and procedures for nursing staff training. Prohibits hospitals from assigning unlicensed personnel to perform nursing functions in lieu of a registered nurse, and unlicensed personnel from performing certain functions, including administration of medication, venipuncture, invasive procedures, and more. Also allows necessary waivers of nurse-to-patient ratios for rural hospitals, as long as the health, safety, and well-being of patients affected are not jeopardized.

Chapter 945, Statutes of 1999

AB 400 (Lempert-D) Psychology

Requires the Bureau of Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education to conduct a study and report to the Legislature on whether accredited and approved institutions offer part-time evening or weekend doctoral programs and to the extent the programs meet the needs of working, older, other underserved students. Also eliminates, effective January 1, 2008, the authority of the State Board of Psychology to accept a doctoral degree from an approved institution in satisfaction of the licensing requirement.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 416 (Machado-D) Personal information: disclosure

Prohibits a health care provider from releasing medical information that has been created as a result of outpatient psychotherapy for specified purposes, unless the requesting entity submits a written request, as specified.

Chapter 527, Statutes of 1999

AB 440 (Corbett-D) Health care providers: withheld funds

Prohibits medical groups, independent practice associations and health insurers from withholding money from a provider for services without outlining specific information and criteria for withholding in the contract. Outlines specific time periods for repayment of withholds to providers. Requires that withhold should in no way induce the denial, reduction, limitation or delay specific medically necessary and appropriate services and requires disclosure of the withholding criteria to any enrollee who requests the information.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 498 (Longville-D) Dentistry: waterlines

Makes it unprofessional conduct for a licensed dentist who owns, operates, or manages a dental office to allow water exiting a dental unit waterline to contain more than 200 colony forming units per milliliter of Aerobic Mesophilic Heterotrophic bacteria on and after January 1, 2001.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 545 (Robert Pacheco-R) Hearing aid dispensers

Establishes the Hearing Aid Dispensers Advisory Commission within the jurisdiction of the State Department of Consumer Affairs.

Chapter 440, Statutes of 1999

AB 552 (Thompson-R) Outpatient settings: general anesthesia

Extends from January 1, 2000, to January 1, 2002, the sunset date of the current law that authorizes a physician to administer general anesthesia in the office of a licensed dentist if the physician holds a general anesthesia permit issued by the Board of Dental Examiners of California.

Chapter 177, Statutes of 1999

AB 656 (Scott-D) Nurse assistants: training programs

Revises existing training requirements for certified nurse assistants (CNAs) serving long-term care patients, increasing needed classroom training from 50 to 60 hours and requiring CNAs applying for renewal two years after their expiration has expired to complete a 75-hour training program. Also requires the State Department of Health Services to convene a working group of specified composition to develop ways to expand CNA training and to make more CNAs available in California.

Chapter 719, Statutes of 1999

AB 675 (Thomson-D) Health facilities: registered nurses

Requires hospitals to provide sufficient staff to ensure patient safety, to implement a patient classification system, and adapt that system to changing circumstances. Makes specified changes regarding registered nurses and health facilities to ensure safe patient care.

(On Assembly Inactive File)

AB 724* (Dutra-D) State government

Declares Year 2000 Problem remediation to be the top information technology priority for all state agencies and makes various changes and additions to current practice and policy in anticipation of potential Year 2000 Problem impacts on state governmental operations. Specifically, among other provisions, permits pharmacists to fill additional refills upon request of the recipient.

Chapter 784, Statutes of 1999

Similar legislation is AB 660 (Cardenas-D) which is in Senate Business and Professions Committee.

AB 751 (Gallegos-D) Disciplinary proceedings: procedures

Specifies that, with respect to accusations against licensed physicians and surgeons that were filed with the Attorney General prior to August 17, 1998, those individuals are only subject to disciplinary actions if an administrative hearing on the case had also taken place prior to that same date.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 791 (Thomson-D) Healing arts: pain management

Adds pain management training, assessment, and education requirements for health care practitioners.

Chapter 403, Statutes of 1999

AB 827 (Baldwin-R) Healing arts: nonconventional treatment

Among other provisions, requires various licensed healing arts practitioners to inform their patients if they elect to provide nonconventional treatment as well as the possible benefits and risks, provides that existing law shall not be construed to prevent the use of any system, methods, or mode of treatment, whether conventional or nonconventional for which the licensee has a reasonable expectation of efficacy and provides that provisions in current law that regulate the treatment of cancer and other specific serious diseases shall be construed to apply to the use of any health care remedy, procedure or treatment not generally accepted by the majority of the health care practice community including the use of dietary supplements and homeopathy.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 894 (Alquist-D) Physicians and surgeons: skilled nursing facilities

Provides that if the attending physician and surgeon of a resident in a skilled nursing facility prescribes or orders a medical intervention that requires informed consent, the physician and surgeon, in addition to obtaining consent from the resident, shall notify the next of kin, as designated in the medical record, within 48 hours of the order or the increase of an order. Also provides that no notification is required if certain circumstances exist.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 949 (Wiggins-D) Speech pathologists

Requires the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board to deem that experience and educational requirements have been met for licensure as a speech-language pathologist if the person holds a valid credential in this field from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, deems minimum requirements for a credential have been met if the persons holds a speech-language pathologists license, and defines "teacher" to include holders of services credential for purposes of eligibility for specified programs.

(In Assembly Education Committee)

AB 1107* (Cedillo-D) Health Care

A budget trailer bill which changes various health programs, including:

  1. Extending the sunset date on the Registered Nurse Education Fund and the Registered Nurse Education Program from January 1, 2000 to January 2003.
  2. Allowing for funds appropriated in the Rural Health Grant Program to be expended in the subsequent fiscal year.
  3. Making the following changes to the Medi-Cal program as it relates to health professionals:
    1. Provides for a five percent wage pass-through to nursing home staff effective as of August 1, 1999, and provides for an enhanced staffing ratio (from 2.9 to 3.2) effective January 1, 2000.
    2. Extends for one year the Medi-Cal Medical Education Supplemental Payment Fund for allocation to specified teaching hospitals to assist in off-setting costs associated with medical instruction.
Chapter 146, Statutes of 1999

AB 1144 (Aanestad-R) Psychology

Requires the State Board of Psychology to encourage institutions that offer a doctorate degree program in psychology to include geriatric pharmacology in their curriculum, and makes technical, nonsubstantive changes to consolidate existing law.

(In Senate Business and Professions Committee)

AB 1202 (Firebaugh-D) Hemodialysis: technician training

Repeals the sunset dates of those provisions in the Hemodialysis Technician Training Act which would sunset on July 1, 2000, and repeals a provision that subjects the certification and training requirements of hemodialysis technicians to review by the Joint Legislative Sunset Review Committee.

Chapter 979, Statutes of 1999

AB 1215* (Thomson-D) Emergency medical services

Requires an applicant for licensure as a paramedic to submit fingerprints for a criminal background check with the State Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Authorizes denial, suspension, or revocation of the license of an emergency medical technician for unprofessional conduct.

Chapter 549, Statutes of 1999

AB 1380 (Villaraigosa-D) Liability: health care providers

Requires the State Treasurer to adjust the current $250,000 cap on noneconomic damages in a medical malpractice action, each February 1, to reflect the cumulative percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for all items published by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics for the preceding calendar year. Also makes legislative findings with respect to the need to revise the cap on noneconomic damages.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 1418 (Strom-Martin-D) Midwives: authorized practices

Deletes the requirement that midwives practice under the supervision of a licensed physician and surgeon and provides, instead, that midwives and physicians shall have a collaborative relationship. Also deletes the midwife to physician ratio (four to one), modifies the disclosures that are to be made to a client, and provides that a midwife's license may not be revoked or suspended for an incident or conduct occurring more than seven years earlier or prior to the initial issuance of the license subject to specified exceptions.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 1430 (Bates-R) Prescriptions: electronic transmissions

Eliminates a requirement that electronic data transmission prescriptions be reduced to writing by a pharmacist, permits licensed prescribers to purchase and receive prescription drugs as a group, and permits a prescriber to enter electronically prescriptions directly or indirectly into a pharmacy's or hospital's computer from any location with the permission of the pharmacy or hospital.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 1433 (Granlund-R) Certified nurse assistants

Clarifies that a prohibition against any person other than a registered nurse or licensed vocational nurse from using the title "nurse" does not prohibit a certified nurse "assistant" from using his or her title, rather than applying this provision to certified nurse's "aides." Also requires facilities licensed by various state departments to develop compliance policies for identification requirements for health care professionals.

Chapter 411, Statutes of 1999

AB 1542 (Granlund-R) Physicians and surgeons: audits and inspections

Requires the State Department of Health Services to certify qualified entities that meet prescribed standards to conduct comprehensive audits and inspections of physician and surgeon offices that may be utilized by any health care service plan or physician organization.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 1545 (Correa-D) Health practitioners

Permits nurse practitioners and physician assistants, acting pursuant to a standardized procedure approved by the supervising physician, to dispense drugs included in the California Uniform Controlled Substances Act in limited settings.

Chapter 914, Statutes of 1999

AB 1557 (Migden-D) Clinical laboratories: unlicensed personnel

Requires any person performing venipuncture (puncture of a vein) and skin puncture for the purpose of withdrawing blood in clinical laboratories or public health departments to be certified as a "certified phlebotomy technician" by a specified date.

Chapter 695, Statutes of 1999

AB 1558 (Wildman-D) Practice of medicine: unprofessional conduct

Requires a physician and surgeon who collect biological specimens for clinical testing to secure those specimens in a locked container when placed in a public location.

Chapter 922, Statutes of 1999

AB 1565 (Papan-D) Damages: health care providers

Provides that in any action for injury based on the professional negligence of a health care provider, the injured plaintiff is entitled to recover noneconomic losses to compensate for pain, suffering, inconvenience, physical impairment, disfigurement and other nonpecuniary damage, up to a maximum of $250,000.

(In Assembly Judiciary Committee)

AB 1621 (Thomson-D) Health care coverage: practice of medicine

Clarifies the definition of the practice of medicine and expands the role of the Attorney General with regard to complaints against health care service plans.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

TopIndex Other Public Health and Safety Legislation

SB 25 (Escutia-D) Environmental health protection: children

Requires the State Air Resources Board to carry out an ongoing review of ambient air quality and toxic air contaminants. Also creates a Children's Environmental Health Center within the State Environmental Protection Agency to, among other things, serve as the chief advisor to the secretary of the State Environmental Protection Agency on matters within the agency relating to environmental health and environmental protection as it relates to children.

Chapter 731, Statutes of 1999

SB 250* (Rainey-R) Personal Income Tax Law: swimming pool safety devices

Provides a tax credit for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 1999, and before January 1, 2003, in an amount equal to 80 percent of the cost paid or incurred, not to exceed $1,000, by the taxpayer for adding or upgrading approved safety devices for a residential swimming pool, under specified conditions.

(Failed passage in Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee)

SB 269 (Ortiz-D) Local public health administration: state aid

Increases the basic funding allotment to local health jurisdictions for core public health functions in order to control the spread of communicable diseases in California.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 276* (Polanco-D) Healthy Californians Act of 1999

Establishes:

  1. The policy that the State develop a universal health care delivery system by the year 2005.
  2. A set of health goals and requires the director of the State Department of Health Services to report annually on progress toward meeting those goals.
  3. A Governor's Council on Health consisting of designated department heads, representatives of PERS, legislators, a University of California representative, and private citizens appointed by the Governor, Speaker, and Senate Rules Committee to represent large employers, small employers, and labor to oversee the planning, implementation, and continuing improvement of the universal health care system.
  4. The California Continuing Improvement and Accountability System for health care led by the director of the State Department of Health Services.

Also creates the Universal Health Care Fund to hold the proceeds of the tobacco litigation Master Settlement Agreement to support the goals of the bill.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 305 (Vasconcellos-D) Parenting education

Requires school districts to ensure that all pupils in grades 9 to 12 receive parenting education, as specified; and that the State Department of the Youth Authority offer parenting education to wards in their jurisdiction, as specified. Further, calls for the convening of a summit for the purpose of developing a master plan for parenting education in nonpublic school settings.

Vetoed by the Governor

SB 493 (Figueroa-D) Taxpayer contributions: Birth Defects Research Fund

Establishes the Birth Defects Research Fund and allows taxpayers to designate their own funds on their personal income tax returns to that fund. Becomes operative following the removal of another voluntary contribution fund from the tax form or for the 2002 tax year, whichever comes first.

Chapter 398, Statutes of 1999

SB 538 (O'Connell-D) Health authorities

Authorizes the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors to establish a health authority to manage, administer, and control general hospital and the family care centers.

Chapter 899, Statutes of 1999

SB 566 (Escutia-D) School health programs

Requires Healthy Families and Medi-Cal participating health plans to contract with school-based health care programs and reimburse them for services. Also requires the State Department of Health Services and the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board to allocate 20 percent of its budget for community outreach to school-based outreach programs conducted by schools.

(In Senate Insurance Committee)

SB 584* (Chesbro-D) Primary health care services: rural areas

Requires the State Department of Health Services to grant funds for up to three years to eligible, private, nonprofit, community-based primary care clinics for the implementation of (1) local health programs for seasonal agricultural and migratory workers, and (2) health services development projects in underserved rural areas.

Chapter 744, Statutes of 1999

SB 596 (Alpert-D) California Volunteer Mentor Partnership Act

Deems the State Health and Human Services Agency as the lead agency for coordination and promotion of mentor programs. Requires the agency to report to the Legislature by February 1, 2001, on the feasibility of consolidating grant applications and processes to fund mentor programs.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 613 (Solis-D) Office of Multicultural Health

Expands the duties of the Office of Multicultural Health and establishes an interagency task force on multicultural health, within the State Health and Human Services Agency.

Vetoed by the Governor

SB 623 (Speier-D) Maddy Emergency Medical Services Fund: use of fees

  1. Requires, in a county that has established an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Fund, an amount equal to $2 for every $7 that would have been collected in traffic penalty assessments to be deposited in the fund.
  2. Requires counties with EMS Funds to add to an existing report to the Legislature the total amount of traffic fines and forfeitures collected, the total amount of penalty assessments collected, and the total amount of penalty assessments deposited into the EMS Fund.
  3. Requires each county to compile a semiannual listing of physicians and hospitals that have received reimbursement from the EMS Fund, and the amount of reimbursement received.
Chapter 679, Statutes of 1999

SB 635 (Sher-D) Primary drinking water standards

Clarifies the legal status of a "public health goal" as a part of the procedure for evaluating the public health risks from contaminants in drinking water.

Chapter 777, Statutes of 1999

SB 643 (Alpert-D) County children and families first commissions

Provides state match ($1 state for $3 county funds) for counties that use their local Proposition 10 (the California Children and Families First Program) funds to either:

  1. Support early childhood programs that have been shown to be cost-effective and demonstration programs that are potentially cost effective based on evaluations conducted by a recognized research institution. Places the determination in the hands of the Office of Child Abuse Prevention.
  2. Establish new and innovative programs based on projected cost-effective evaluation acceptable to the office.

Provide that matching funds be limited to support low-income children and those more likely to have adverse health, social, and economic outcomes.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 648 (Ortiz-D) Venereal disease

Permits local health officers, at their discretion, to add chlamydia to the definition of venereal diseases that local health officers oversee with respect to documenting existing cases and preventing transmission.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

SB 672 (Escutia-D) Health: migrant and seasonal worker families

Requires the State Department of Health Services, in cooperation with the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, to establish a grant program to provide outreach and health services to children of migrant and seasonal workers and their families. Provides grants to community health centers and community-based primary care providers that can demonstrate a track record providing primary and preventive services to seasonal and migrant workers and their dependents, regardless of their ability to pay. Requires funds under the program to supplement and not supplant funds for any existing programs targeted at rural or farm worker communities.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 741 (Alpert-D) Immunizations: varicella (chickenpox)

Adds chickenpox to the list of diseases for which immunization is required before a child is admitted to specified institutions, effective July 1, 2001.

Chapter 747, Statutes of 1999

SB 753 (Hayden-D) Sport and commercial fish: study and risk assessment

Establishes a program to assess and publicize the public health risk associated with the human consumption of various sport and commercial fish.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 771 (Speier-D) Organ and tissue donor registry

Establishes the Organ and Tissue Donor Registry in the State Health and Human Services Agency to provide hospitals and other medical establishments with readily available information about potential donors in California.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 825 (Escutia-D) Health education programs

Amends the intent of the Legislature relative to the annual review of the health sciences program of the University of California. Also establishes the Medical Education Innovations Fund in the State Treasury for deposit, as specified, and requires the moneys to be used to provide financial support for academic and community-based programs that prepare, train, and locate primary health care professionals in areas of unmet need for primary care.

(In Assembly Higher Education Committee)

SB 847 (Vasconcellos-D) Marijuana Research Act of 1999

Establishes a three-year research program to determine the safety and efficacy of marijuana as a therapeutic drug.

Chapter 750, Statutes of 1999

SB 848 (Vasconcellos-D) Medicinal marijuana

Establishes a voluntary statewide medical marijuana registry identification card program administered by the State Department of Health Services.

(On Assembly Inactive File)

SB 885 (Costa-D) Safe drinking water fund

Authorizes the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank to issue taxable or tax-exempt revenue bonds and deposit the proceeds into the Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund or use the proceeds to refund bonds issued. Sets forth additional purposes for which moneys in the fund, including proceeds from revenue bonds, may be used. Authorizes a public agency to enter into a contract or loan with the State Department of Health Services pursuant to the Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Law of 1997 and authorizes the public agency to pledge a dedicated source of revenue to secure any obligations under the contract or loan.

(In Senate Agriculture and Water Committee)

SB 908 (Murray-D) Family Friends Project

Appropriates $430,000 from the General Fund to the State Department of Health Services to establish five Family Friends Project sites in California.

Vetoed by the Governor

SB 910 (Vasconcellos-D) Aging: strategic planning

Requires the University of California to compile information that addresses the impending demographic, economic, and social changes triggered by California's aging society.

Chapter 948, Statutes of 1999

SB 911 (Figueroa-D) Emergency care: automatic external defibrillator

Provides immunity from liability for certain trained persons who use an automated external defibrillator to render emergency care to a person in cardiac arrest.

Chapter 163, Statutes of 1999

SB 939 (Monteith-R) Emergency medical services: county funding

States that, in complying with the maintenance-of-effort requirement, no county shall be required to contribute an amount to the Emergency Medical Services Fund exceeding receipts of the penalty assessment.

Chapter 674, Statutes of 1999

SB 963* (Monteith-R) Sales and use taxes: exemptions: drugs or medicines

Provides a sales and use tax exemption for oxygen that is administered to animals normally used as food for human consumption.

Chapter 289, Statutes of 1999

SB 979* (McPherson-R) Outdoor wood-burning ovens

Exempts outdoor wood-burning ovens that meet all the requirements of barbecues from being required to be fully enclosed in a building.

Chapter 290, Statutes of 1999

SB 986 (Karnette-D) Substance abuse: adult recovery maintenance facilities

Requires, by July 1, 2000, the State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs to adopt emergency regulations governing the licensing and operation of adult recovery maintenance facilities.

Vetoed by the Governor

SB 1004 (Escutia-D) Disease: Birth Defects Monitoring Project

States legislative intent that the California Birth Defects Monitoring Project within the State Department of Health Services conduct a feasibility study on establishing a research registry on childhood neurodevelopmental disorders.

(At Assembly Desk)

SB 1006 (Costa-D) Drinking water: water softening and conditioning devices

Authorizes local agencies to limit the availability of self-regenerating residential water softeners or prohibit the use of this category of water softeners.

Chapter 969, Statutes of 1999

SB 1013 (Sher-D) Retail food facilities: inspection information

Requires the State Department of Health Services and local health agencies to establish and utilize standardized formats and procedures for inspecting and reporting on food facilities. Revises existing law exempting certain outdoor facilities from enclosures, as specified, to include outdoor bars.

Vetoed by the Governor

SB 1033 (Hughes-D) Child health and disability prevention

Requires school districts to exclude from school attendance any child new to California who has not provided a certificate documenting a health screening and evaluation within the prior 18 months. Also requires children, upon entering the seventh grade or the year they reach 13, to provide evidence of a complete health assessment and screening in the prior 12 months. In both cases, authorizes parents to sign a waiver indicating that they do not want or are unable to obtain the evaluation and the reasons why. Directs schools to provide parents with the availability of screening at public expense.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 1059 (Johannessen-R) Naturopathic medicine

Requires the State Department of Consumer Affairs to study and report to the Legislature regarding the appropriateness of state recognition, validation, or regulation of naturopathy.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 1105* (Chesbro-D) Health: youth pregnancies

Repeals a provision in existing law that requires, beginning July 1, 1999, the Community Challenge Grant Program to only be implemented if the State Department of Health Services receives federal financial participation for implementation pursuant to a federal waiver for family planning services provided under the state-only Family Planning Program.

Chapter 754, Statutes of 1999

SB 1111 (Sher-D) Asthma

Requires the State Department of Health Services to establish a comprehensive state assessment, intervention, and evaluation program for the control of asthma.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 1115 (Chesbro-D) Lyme disease: advisory committee and information service

Establishes the Lyme Disease Advisory Committee in the State Department of Health Services to make recommendations to the State Department of Health Services on establishing a public information program about Lyme disease that provides information to the general public and health professionals.

Chapter 668, Statutes of 1999

SB 1182* (Alarcon-D) Taxes: food establishment employees: immunizations

Provides a 50 percent tax credit for food establishment employers who provide hepatitis A immunizations for their employees.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 1185 (Johnston-D) Genetic characteristics: definition

Defines "genetic characteristics" to clarify that the term, for purposes of the laws prohibiting discrimination based on a medical condition, refers to genetic characteristics that are determined to be associated with specified criteria, and that are presently not associated with any symptoms of any disease or disorder.

Chapter 311, Statutes of 1999

SB 1189 (Kelley-R) Food safety certification examinations: exemption

Exempts, from the requirement in current law that food facilities have an owner or employee who has passed an approved and accredited food safety certification examination, a private home, church, private club, or other nonprofit association that gives or sells food to its members and guests at occasional events.

(In Senate Health and Human Services Committee)

SB 1191 (Perata-D) Hereditary and congenital diseases: hemoglobin disorders

Requires the State Department of Health Services to designate tests and regulations to detect sickle cell anemia and other hemoglobin disorders prenatally or neonatally. Requires the State Department of Health Services to conduct one or more umbilical cord blood bank pilot projects to determine the usefulness of cord blood banking and appropriates $250,000 from the Genetic Disease Testing Fund for implementation of the project.

Vetoed by the Governor

SB 1200 (Poochigian-R) Disabled access to public accommodations

Requires local agencies to provide notice to the blind, aged, and disabled communities in order to facilitate their participation in any hearing on the permitting of a drive-through facility (such as a fast food restaurant, bank or pharmacy).

Chapter 460, Statutes of 1999

SB 1235 (Polanco-D) State Dental Director

Requires the State Department of Health Services (DHS) to appoint a dentist to administer the department's dental programs. Directs this dentist to submit a plan to the Legislature on how to streamline and better coordinate oral health programs within DHS.

Vetoed by the Governor

SB 1240* (Burton-D) Maternal and child health: food program: vendors

Allows the State Department of Health Services to set prices and requires the department to adopt regulations for the California Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children.

Chapter 21, Statutes of 1999

SB 1246 (Escutia-D) State Health and Human Services Agency

Requires all departments within the State Health and Human Services Agency to assess the ethnic and language diversity, and incidence and types of disabilities, among their client populations and develop a plan to address any disparities.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 1256 (Polanco-D) Hepatitis C: screening

Declares the intent of the Legislature to appropriate an unspecified amount to the State Department of Health Services for screening of uninsured individuals at high risk for hepatitis C.

(At Assembly Desk)

SCR 2 (Murray-D) National Eye Care Month

Declares the month of January 1999 as National Eye Care Month.

Resolution Chapter 124, Statutes of 1999

SCR 18 (Baca-D) Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Awareness Month

Proclaims May 1999 as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Awareness Month.

Resolution Chapter 47, Statutes of 1999

SCR 24 (O'Connell-D) National Lymphoma Awareness Week

Designates the second week of October as National Lymphoma Awareness Week and honors the work of the Lymphoma Research Foundation of America.

Resolution Chapter 126, Statutes of 1999

SCR 27 (Johannessen-R) Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month

Proclaims the month of May in each year as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Month.

Resolution Chapter 33, Statutes of 1999

SCR 31 (Polanco-D) Latino Behavioral Health Week

Proclaims the third week of September of each year "Latino Behavioral Health Week."

Resolution Chapter 73, Statutes of 1999

SCR 50 (Monteith-R) Eat Dinner with Your Family Day

Proclaims October 4, 1999, as Eat Dinner with Your Family Day.

(In Senate Rules Committee)

SJR 1 (Speier-D) Medicare coverage

Memorializes the federal government to (1) ensure that persons dropped by Medicare HMOs have access to other HMOs or Medigap policies that cover prescription drugs; (2) work with the states to assist these enrollees to obtain new Medicare coverage; and (3) rescind the determination that enrollees who are disabled and under 65 years of age are not guaranteed the same rights as older Medicare enrollees.

Resolution Chapter 63, Statutes of 1999

SJR 14 (Costa-D) Immunosuppressive drugs

Calls upon Congress to enact Sen. No. 631 and H. R. No. 1115, in order that transplant recipients covered by Medicare will be able to receive immunosuppressive drugs for as long as is necessary for their continued health and well-being.

Resolution Chapter 135, Statutes of 1999

SJR 18 (Kelley-R) Undocumented persons: medical and burial costs

Urges the President and the Congress to enact legislation providing for reimbursement to Imperial County for medical and burial costs incurred by undocumented persons.

Resolution Chapter 87, Statutes of 1999

SJR 21 (Burton-D) Neurodevelopmental disorders

Memorializes the President and the Congress to provide substantial additional funding to the National Institute of Health to study neurodevelopmental disorders in order to advance research and best practices in the assessment, intervention, and prevention of those disorders.

Resolution Chapter 136, Statutes of 1999

SR 11 (Solis-D) Stroke Awareness Month

Recognizes May 1999 as Stroke Awareness Month in California and encourages all Californians to make themselves and their families aware of the risk of a stroke and appropriates preventative measures.

Adopted by the Senate

AB 5* (Battin-R) Taxes: exemptions: baby diapers and nonprescription drugs

Exempts baby diapers and over-the-counter nonprescription drugs from sales and use taxes.

(In Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 13* (Dickerson-R) Taxes: exemptions: over-the-counter medicines

Provides a sales and use tax exemption for over-the-counter, nonprescription, nonherbal medicines for internal use and for both disposable and reusable diapers.

(In Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 63 (Ducheny-D) Office of Binational Border Health

Establishes the Office of Binational Border Health within the State Department of Health Services to make recommendations to the federal U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission and report on reducing disease in the California-Mexico border region.

Chapter 765, Statutes of 1999

AB 87 (Floyd-D) Supplementary food program for women, infants, and children

Authorizes the State Department of Health Services to implement a statewide electronic benefits transfer system for the California Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children, upon completion of a feasibility study and subject to appropriation in the annual Budget Act.

Chapter 763, Statutes of 1999

AB 161 (Alquist-D) Osteoporosis

Establishes the California Osteoporosis Prevention and Education Program within the State Department of Health Services and appropriates $250,000 from the General Fund for purposes of the program.

Chapter 819, Statutes of 1999

AB 210 (Wildman-D) Pupil health services

Establishes the Healthy Student Partnership Fund to make funding available to schools for capital outlay projects to improve physical space for student health services.

(In Senate Health and Human Services Committee)

AB 319 (Thomson-D) County programs: funding

Requires the State Department of Health Services to annually advance to a local health department 25 percent of the annual General Fund allocation, subvention, or reimbursement required by the local health department for the delivery of services for the following programs:

  1. Funding for administration for the Child Health Disability Prevention Program.
  2. Funding for administration and medical therapy for the California Children's Services Program.
  3. Funding for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) education and prevention services, as specified.
Chapter 847, Statutes of 1999

AB 532 (Lempert-D) Human milk

Makes the procurement, processing, distribution, or use of human milk for the purpose of human consumption the rendition of a service rather than the sale of a product.

Chapter 87, Statutes of 1999

AB 556 (Davis-D) Drugs and devices: conformity to federal law

Conforms state law to reflect newly-enacted provisions of the federal Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act with regard to the regulation of drugs and drug-related devices.

(Returned by the Governor; at Senate Desk)

AB 561 (Romero-D) California Child Care Health Linkages Program

Establishes the California Child Care Health Linkages Program to link health care services and specified information through state subsidized child care and development programs in eight counties.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 607 (Aroner-D) Foster Children's Health Care Services Act

  1. Provides that all children in foster care shall receive mental health assessments, as specified, and shall be entitled to receive an annual physical examination, without prior approval.
  2. Requires the State Health and Human Services Agency to oversee and coordinate the responsibilities of various state agencies involved in social services and health care for foster children.
  3. Requires child welfare service workers to obtain information about a child's health status upon removal from the home, as specified.
Vetoed by the Governor

AB 611 (Cardenas-D) Prenatal health: information dissemination

Requires the State Department of Health Services to: (a) review the adequacy of prenatal nutrition information in continuing education programs available to various health practitioners, (b) assess the efficacy of specified programs that educate women on prenatal nutrition, and (c) report its findings to the Legislature by January 1, 2001.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 635 (Campbell-R) Food facilities

  1. Repeals the January 1, 2000, sunset date for existing requirements for raw shell egg storage, and the January 1, 2001, sunset on regulations on cooking temperatures.
  2. Repeals requirements on each local enforcement agency to annually report to the State Department of Health Services regarding the adequacy of standards applied to nonprofit charitable temporary food facilities (NCTFFs); and the requirement on the department to review these reports and confer with the California Conference of Directors of Environmental Health and affected industry groups.
  3. Revises the ready-to-eat foods cooking requirements and deletes the January 1, 2001 sunset date.
  4. Expands the existing definition of NCTFFs to mean a temporary food facility, as defined, that is conducted and operated by a nonprofit corporation that is exempt from taxation pursuant to paragraphs (1) to (10), inclusive, and paragraph (19) of Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code and Section 23701d of the Revenue and Taxation Code.
Chapter 879, Statutes of 1999

AB 678 (Dutra-D) Emergency medical services: immunization and screening

Permits any local emergency medical services agency to authorize a city or district to conduct an immunization and screening program utilizing paramedics, in cooperation with the local public health department and overseen by the local emergency medical director.

(Failed passage in Assembly Health Committee; Reconsideration granted)

AB 710 (Calderon-D) Drinking water: perchlorate removal

Requires the State Department of Health Services to establish a demonstration project regarding the removal of perchlorate from drinking water, and appropriates $500,000 for that purpose from the General Fund to the department.

(In Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee)

AB 750 (Dutra-D) Spinal cord injury

Makes legislative findings and declarations regarding the need to fund spinal cord injury research. Establishes the Spinal Cord Injury Research Fund. Continuously appropriates $16 million from the General Fund to be administered by the University of California and to be awarded as grants to support basic neurological research into potential cures for spinal cord injuries. Sunsets on January 1, 2006.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 757 (Gallegos-D) Drugs for the elderly

Requires the State Department of Health Services to take various actions to educate and counsel elderly persons on financial assistance for prescription drugs and appropriates $750,000 from the General Fund for this purpose.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 805* (Strom-Martin-D) Budget Act of 1999: augmentation

Appropriates $500,000 (General Fund) in order to obtain a 70 percent federal fund match of $1,167,000 to expand the Women, Infant and Children Nutrition Program's Certified Farmers' Market Nutrition Program by a total of $1,667,000. Provides coupons to approximately 60,000 more women to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 854 (Cunneen-R) Wild animals: domestic ferrets

Provides amnesty to domestic ferrets, living in California as of April 20, 1999, if the animal is vaccinated against rabies and spayed or neutered. Also mandates the State Department of Fish and Game to study the issue of ferret impacts on California wildlife before the California Fish and Game Commission votes on ferret legalization.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 885 (Jackson-D) Coastal onsite sewage treatment systems

Establishes a process for developing statewide performance standards for onsite sewage treatment systems located in the coastal zone.

(In Senate Environmental Quality Committee)

AB 891 (Alquist-D) Health care decisions

Streamlines and updates the provisions governing health care decisions for adults without decisionmaking capacity. Specifically, repeals the provisions governing durable powers of attorney for health care and the Natural Death Act, and revises and recasts these provisions as part of a new act, the Health Care Decisions Law.

Chapter 658, Statutes of 1999

AB 920 (Cardenas-D) Comprehensive school health centers: funding

Appropriates $35 million over five years beginning in the 1999-2000 fiscal year to be used to provide direct primary care medical services, mental health services and preventive health education in no fewer than 200 comprehensive school health centers statewide.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 930 (Calderon-D) Alcohol and drug programs: narcotic treatment programs

Requires, rather than allows, the State Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs to (1) license and enforce specified minimum standards for narcotic treatment programs, (2) inspect narcotic treatment programs to ensure they are operating in accordance with the law, (3) suspend, revoke, or cease review of narcotic treatment program licensure applications under specified circumstances, including violations causing an imminent danger of death or severe harm, and (4) include concerns of local law enforcement and government officials in annual compliance inspection reports. Additionally, requires imposing a civil penalty of $100 per day for a narcotic treatment program failing to submit a corrective action plan or implement a corrective action on a timely basis.

Chapter 717, Statutes of 1999

AB 1043* (Shelley-D) Poison control centers: tax: grants

Imposes a 25 cent per enrollee fee on health plans to support state Poison Control Centers. In addition, requires the Emergency Medical Services Authority to fund a center in Los Angeles County.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1055 (Villaraigosa-D) Playground equipment and facilities

Creates a local grant program within the California Integrated Waste Management Board to help local public agencies improve playground equipment safety and increase recycling at playgrounds. In addition, extends the regulatory deadline for private entities to upgrade playground facilities from January 1, 2000, to January 1, 2003 and exempts certain foster care and child care providers from the new regulations. Also creates the Playground Safety and Recycling Account.

Chapter 712, Statutes of 1999

AB 1061 (McClintock-R) Health coverage

Repeals various health care programs that provide health care and preventive services to low-income persons, and enacts the "Access to Affordable Choice Act" to provide personal income tax credits for qualified medical costs.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 1065 (Ducheny-D) Children's dental care: pilot project

Establishes pilot projects in three counties to increase access to dental services for Medi-Cal eligible infants and children up to five years of age.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 1107* (Cedillo-D) Health Care

A Budget trailer bill which makes changes to specified health programs, including the following:

  1. Statutory changes to the Healthy Families Program (HFP):
    1. Expands to include children and infants in families at 250% of federal poverty by use of an income disregard provision.
    2. Applies income deductions for purposes of determining eligibility.
    3. Includes legal immigrant children arriving after August 22, 1996 in a state-only program which will sunset in one year.
    4. Provides for HFP children who have a medical condition recognized under the California Children's Services (CCS) Program to be eligible to receive CCS-related services.
    5. Permits a minor to apply for coverage on behalf of his/her child, and on behalf of herself/himself if emancipated.
    6. Permits a family contribution sponsor (i.e., third party payor) to pay the annual required premium and requires the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board to determine who may be the family contribution sponsors and to establish a process for sponsorship.
    7. Provides for initial treatment reimbursement through the Child Health Disability Prevention Program for up to 90-days prior to the effective date of HFP coverage.
    8. Clarifies the purchase of capital equipment under the Rural Health Demonstration Pilot Projects.
  2. Changes to the public health program:
    1. Partnership for Responsible Parenting Media Campaign: Provides a $5 million General Fund augmentation for this program, for a total appropriation of $9.3 million in the budget year.
    2. County Medical Services Program: Eliminates the $20.2 million General Fund state support for 1999-2000 and restores this level of funding in the out year (2000-2001).
    3. Community Challenge Grant Program: Extends the Community Challenge Grant Program for one-year contingent on federal approval of the state's waiver request to obtain federal matching funds for the Family PACT Program.
    4. Office of Multicultural Health: Establishes the Office of Multicultural Health at the State Department of Health Services in statute.
    5. Immunization of College Students: As of January 1, 2000, requires the department, in consultation with the Trustees of the California State University, and the Regents of the University of California, to adopt regulations necessary to require first-time enrollees at these institutions who are 18 years or younger to provide proof of full immunization against the hepatitis B virus prior to enrollment.
    6. Health Education Account (Proposition 99 Funds): Enables all programs funded through the Health Education Account, including the media campaign, school anti-tobacco education efforts, Competitive Grants Program and the Local Lead Agencies to expend an appropriation for up to three-years.
    7. Domestic Violence Advisory Council: Extends until January 1, 2003 the Domestic Violence Advisory Council.
    8. Breast Cancer Treatment: Requires the State Department of Health Services to contract to provide breast cancer treatment to a bidder that is a nonprofit organization and meets specified eligibility criteria in order to provide $2.5 million in General Fund support to treat women and men with breast cancer who meet certain eligibility criteria.
Chapter 146, Statutes of 1999

AB 1172* (Frusetta-R) Taxes: preventive health care credit: agricultural workers

Authorizes a credit equal to 25 percent of certain preventive health care costs provided to the taxpayer's employees who are farmworkers and who meet specified criteria.

(In Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 1198 (Firebaugh-D) Diabetes Early Detection and Control Act

Creates the Diabetes Early Detection and Control Act to award grants for diabetes screening, referral, education and control activities in underserved communities in the event funding becomes available.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1207 (Shelley-D) Environmental health and safety

Enacts the Healthy Schools Act of 1999 to require the notification of parents and staff when pesticides are applied at schools; to establish a least-toxic pest management program for schools; and to convene a task force to evaluate public health and environmental exposures at schools (e.g. radon, indoor air quality) among other provisions.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 1253 (Nakano-D) Health services pilot program: uninsured working poor

Establishes a three-year pilot program to provide health care services to poor children and adults who are not eligible for public or private health care coverage.

Chapter 1025, Statutes of 1999

AB 1258 (Strom-Martin-D) Public health: agricultural homestay establishments

Provides for the regulation of agricultural homestays, as defined, and expands the definition of "restricted food service transient occupancy establishment" to include an agricultural homestay.

Chapter 180, Statutes of 1999

AB 1259 (Strom-Martin-D) Human services: pilot program

Permits Humboldt, Mendocino and Alameda counties to establish a program for the funding and delivery of services through an integrated and comprehensive health and social services delivery system.

Chapter 705, Statutes of 1999

AB 1359* (Calderon-D) Medical devices

Prohibits any person from reusing a medical device that has been identified as a single-use device in labeling cleared or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, with certain exceptions.

(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 1363 (Davis-D) School health centers

Establishes guidelines for the creation of school-based and school-linked health centers, providing comprehensive primary care to students in public schools. Establishes requirements and guidelines for those providers and sets forth student rights and responsibilities. Allows the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board to designate these clinics as traditional and safety net providers for the purposes of the Healthy Families Program.

Vetoed by the Governor

AB 1400 (Honda-D) Childhood lead poisoning prevention

Requires the State Department of Health Services to establish a two-year pilot program in up to 10 counties, at the discretion of the counties, to perform blood lead screening and provide case management services to lead-poisoned children.

(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1482* (Alquist-D) Stray animals: impounding requirements

Delays by one year the time when certain animal pounds and shelters must comply with last year's law, SB 1785 (Hayden), Chapter 752, Statutes of 1998, that increased the holding period before an animal may be euthanized.

Chapter 81, Statutes of 1999

AB 1520 (Leach-R) Bunk beds

Enacts the Bunk Bed Safety Act of 1999 to prohibit any commercial user from manufacturing, retrofitting, selling, leasing, subletting, or otherwise placing in the stream of commerce a bunk bed that is unsafe for children, except as specified, on or after January 1, 2000.

Chapter 920, Statutes of 1999

AB 1548 (Cardoza-D) Environmental health: food

Provides funds for additional safety inspectors within the State Department of Health Services, and clarifies existing law as to local county health department inspection programs.

Chapter 915, Statutes of 1999

AB 1576* (Assembly Health Committee) Children and family health programs

Renames the California Children and Families "First" Program as the California Children and Families Program, and defines the "relevant county" for purposes of allocating the tobacco tax to county commission funds in the county where the mother resides.

Chapter 126, Statutes of 1999

AB 1584* (Machado-D) Safe drinking water

Places before the voters on the March 7, 2000, ballot a $1.97 billion State General Obligation Bond measure to finance a variety of projects and programs for safe drinking water, clean water, water conservation, and flood protection.

Chapter 725, Statutes of 1999

Similar legislation is SB 413 (Burton-D) in Senate Agriculture and Water Committee; SB 530 (Costa-D) in Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee; SB 598 (Costa-D) on Assembly Inactive File; AB 516 (Wayne-D) in Senate Agriculture and Water Committee; AB 564 (Machado-D) in Senate Agriculture and Water Committee; and AB 1239 (Leonard-R) in Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee.

AB 1592 (Aroner-D) The Death with Dignity Act

Enacts the Death with Dignity Act, to authorize competent adults determined by two physicians to be suffering from a terminal disease to request medication to end their lives.

(On Assembly Inactive File)

AB 1594 (Florez-D) Hepatitis A vaccinations

Adds hepatitis A to the list of diseases that require documentation of immunization prior to admission to an elementary school, child care center, day nursery, nursery school, family day care home, or development center.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 1680 (Assembly Environmental Safety And Toxic Materials Committee) Environmental Health Policy Institute

Establishes the Environmental Health Policy Institute, under the Division of Environmental Health and Occupational Disease Control in the State Department of Health Services (DHS). Requires the director of DHS to appoint a director of the institute, and requires the institute to carry out various duties relating to environmental health.

(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

ACR 16 (Torlakson-D) California Fitness Month

Proclaims the month of May 1999 as California Fitness month and encourages all Californians to enrich their lives through proper diet and exercise.

Resolution Chapter 36, Statutes of 1999

ACR 24 (Honda-D) National Sleep Awareness Week

Proclaims March 29, 1999, to April 4, 1999, as National Sleep Awareness Week. States that the National Sleep Foundation in conjunction with other organizations urge all Americans to recognize the dangers of untreated sleep disorders and the importance of proper sleep to their health, safety and productivity.

(In Senate Rules Committee)

ACR 25 (Wildman-D) California Physical Fitness and Sports Month

Designates the month of May 1999 as California Physical Fitness and Sports Month, and encourages Californians to assess the physical activity patterns of young people and provide a range of developmentally appropriate community sports and recreation programs that are attractive to young people.

(In Assembly Rules Committee)

ACR 27 (Strom-Martin-D) Red Cross Month

Recognizes the month of March 1999 as Red Cross Month.

(In Assembly Rules Committee)

ACR 31 (Machado-D) National Boys and Girls Club Week

Designates April 11, 1999, through April 17, 1999, as National Boys and Girls Club Week.

(In Senate Rules Committee)

ACR 34 (Cedillo-D) El Dia de los Ninos

Declares April 30, 1999, as "El Dia de los Ninos".

Resolution Chapter 18, Statutes of 1999

Similar legislation is ACR 37 (Gallegos-D) in Assembly Rules Committee; and ACR 45 (Soto-D) in Assembly.

ACR 55 (Olberg-R) Fibromyalgia Awareness Month

Declares June 1999 to be Fibromyalgia Awareness Month, and encourages the observance of this event in communities throughout the State.

Resolution Chapter 59, Statutes of 1999

ACR 60 (Corbett-D) Loma Prieta earthquake

Commemorates the 10-year anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake on October 17, 1999, and urges all California residents and businesses to engage in appropriate earthquake safety-related activities on an ongoing basis.

Resolution Chapter 96, Statutes of 1999

ACR 72 (Ashburn-R) Valley Fever Awareness Month

Proclaims August 1999 as Valley Fever Awareness Month.

Resolution Chapter 60, Statutes of 1999

ACR 73 (Thomson-D) Health screening and diagnosis

Urges health insurers and health care service plans to provide expeditious access to diagnostic and screening tests for life-threatening diseases and conditions when those diagnostic and screening tests are recommended by professional treatment guidelines, as specified.

Resolution Chapter 116, Statutes of 1999

ACR 76 (Campbell-R) California Family Month

Designates November 1999 as California Family Month. Also encourages families to join together to protect and nurture the family unit. Further commends families that have shown the discipline necessary to preserve a code of moral and ethical behavior.

Resolution Chapter 106, Statutes of 1999

ACR 79 (Hertzberg-D) Retinoblastoma Awareness Month

Recognizes the month of October 1999 as Retinoblastoma Awareness Month and encourages all Californians to make themselves and their families aware of the risk of retinoblastoma and the need for appropriate screening, early diagnosis, and referral.

Resolution Chapter 111, Statutes of 1999

ACR 80 (Thomson-D) California Hospice Month

Proclaims the month of November as California Hospice Month.

Resolution Chapter 117, Statutes of 1999

ACR 81 (Reyes-D) California Grown Certified Farmers' Market

Recognizes August 1999 as California Grown Certified Farmers' Market Month.

Resolution Chapter 98, Statutes of 1999

ACR 88 (Cox-R) Rett Syndrome Awareness Month

Designates October 1999 as Rett Syndrome Awareness Month.

Resolution Chapter 120, Statutes of 1999

ACR 89 (Soto-D) Red Ribbon Week

Proclaims October 23 through October 31, 1999, as Red Ribbon Week, and encourages all Californians to help build a drug-free community and to participate in drug prevention activities.

(In Senate Rules Committee)

AJR 18 (Reyes-D) Medicare coverage of prescription drugs

Memorializes the President and Congress of the United States to enact federal legislation that would expand Medicare benefits to include the cost of prescription drugs.

Resolution Chapter 102, Statutes of 1999

AJR 32 (Strickland-R) Medicare payments

Calls upon Congress to enact legislation to require the Medicare prospective payment system to take into account the costs associated with providing medically complex care and to provide a more accurate inflation adjuster index.

Resolution Chapter 113, Statutes of 1999

HR 9 (Alquist-D) Hospice care postage stamp

Memorializes the United State Postal Service for issuing the "Hospice Care" postage stamp and for its joint efforts with the National Hospice Organization, the California State Hospice Association and others to raise awareness for hospice care in the United States.

Adopted by the Assembly

HR 17 (Strom-Martin-D) American Red Cross

Draws special attention of the public to the American Red Cross in appreciation for the service that it has provided to the people of California throughout the past century, especially for its quick action in providing assistance to communities affected by the January flood of 1997, and recognizes the month of March 1999 as Red Cross Month.

Adopted by the Assembly

HR 27 (Bock-G) Dioxin

States that because the environment and public health of the San Francisco Bay area is potentially at risk from dioxin pollution, there is an urgent need to scientifically determine the extent to which dioxins are a genuine threat, to discover the various paths dioxins are introduced into the environment, to determine the proportional sources of dioxin pollution, and to develop integrated, comprehensive and science-based regional strategy for the reduction of further dioxin pollution in the area.

Adopted by the Assembly

HR 29 (Soto-D) Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week

Resolves that the third full week of July of each year be recognized as California Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, to be observed in 1999 from July 18 to July 24. Provides that the week shall be set aside to convey the importance of detecting and preventing lead poisoning and to emphasize the hazards to children and to encourage all Californians to participate in appropriate activities to increase lead poisoning awareness and prevention.

Adopted by the Assembly

HR 31 (Pescetti-R) Children

Designates October 1999 as California Protect Our Children Month.

Adopted by the Assembly

HR 35 (Machado-D) Media code of conduct

Calls upon executives of the media industry, as well as chief executive officers of companies that advertise in the electronic media, to develop a new voluntary code of conduct, modeled on the National Association of Broadcasters code aimed at renewing our culture and making our media environment once again healthy for our society and safer for children.

(In Assembly Judiciary Committee)

 

Note: See Public Social Services and Health Insurance in the Insurance Section for other health related issues.

 


 

Top Index (in Bill Order)

BillAuthor and Bill TitleReference Links

SB 5

Rainey-R
Health care benefits: breast cancer services


SB 7

Figueroa-D
Healing arts: physicians


SB 8

Leslie-R
Medi-Cal: drugs


SB 18

Figueroa-D
Health care


SB 25

Escutia-D
Environmental health protection: children


SB 53*

Hughes-D
Alzheimer's disease diagnostic and treatment centers


SB 77

Murray-D
Workers' compensation: death benefits


SB 82

Vasconcellos-D
Medi-Cal


SB 87

Escutia-D
Medi-Cal: eligibility of children


SB 97

Burton-D
Health facilities


SB 106

Polanco-D
Medi-Cal


SB 111

Figueroa-D
Medi-Cal: eligibility


SB 112

Figueroa-D
Children: Healthy Families Program: Medi-Cal Program


SB 124

Figueroa-D
Medi-Cal eligibility


SB 125

Haynes-R
Healing arts: social workers


SB 137

Knight-R
Board of Behavioral Sciences: substance abuse testing


SB 147

Alpert-D
Medi-Cal eligibility


SB 149

Haynes-R
Sharon Hamptlon Act of 1999


SB 156

Figueroa-D
Child development: California Early Start Program


SB 163

Hughes-D
Adult abuse


SB 164*

Johnston-D
Reparation payments


SB 188*

Leslie-R
Drugs: hospitals: physicians


SB 193

Baca-D
Vehicles: special breast cancer treatment license plates


SB 205

Perata-D
Health coverage: cancer screening tests


SB 224

Baca-D
Seniors, veterans and disabled health care


SB 250*

Rainey-R
Personal Income Tax Law: swimming pool safety devices


SB 269

Ortiz-D
Local public health administration: state aid


SB 276*

Polanco-D
Healthy Californians Act of 1999


SB 305

Vasconcellos-D
Parenting education


SB 308*

Escutia-D
Nurses


SB 349

Figueroa-D
Emergency services and care


SB 353*

Johannessen-R
Medi-Cal: residential care facility services


SB 362

Alpert-D
Health care coverage: ovarian cancer


SB 393

Speier-D
Pharmacies: prescription benefits: Medicare beneficiaries


SB 404

Alpert-D
Pharmacy


SB 405

Ortiz-D
Suicide treatment and prevention


SB 450

Speier-D
Physicians and surgeons: advertising: plastic surgery


SB 454

Karnette-D
Children's hospitals: disproportionate share eligibility


SB 466

Perata-D
Acupuncture


SB 468

Polanco-D
Health care coverage: mental illness


SB 470

Baca-D
Pilot project and study: chronic condition management


SB 479

Solis-D
Medi-Cal: county organized health systems


SB 487

Wright-R
Children's Mental Health Services Act


SB 490

Kelley-R
Veterinary medicine: records


SB 493

Figueroa-D
Taxpayer contributions: Birth Defects Research Fund


SB 538

O'Connell-D
Health authorities


SB 566

Escutia-D
School health programs


SB 569

Alarcon-D
Employment of persons with disabilities


SB 584*

Chesbro-D
Primary health care services: rural areas


SB 585

Chesbro-D
Clinical laboratories


SB 595

Speier-D
Outpatient settings


SB 596

Alpert-D
California Volunteer Mentor Partnership Act


SB 613

Solis-D
Office of Multicultural Health


SB 623

Speier-D
Maddy Emergency Medical Services Fund: use of fees


SB 635

Sher-D
Primary drinking water standards


SB 642

Haynes-R
Medi-Cal: reimbursement: probationary licensee


SB 643

Alpert-D
County children and families first commissions


SB 648

Ortiz-D
Venereal disease


SB 651

Burton-D
Registered pharmacists


SB 672

Escutia-D
Health: migrant and seasonal worker families


SB 673

Escutia-D
Medi-Cal transitional benefits


SB 708*

Senate Budget And Fiscal Review Committee
Human services


SB 741

Alpert-D
Immunizations: varicella (chickenpox)


SB 745

Escutia-D
Mental health: contracts: disputes


SB 748

Dunn-D
Tobacco settlement


SB 753

Hayden-D
Sport and commercial fish: study and risk assessment


SB 759

Johannessen-R
Assault: paramedic: rescue personnel


SB 765

Schiff-D
Biological specimens


SB 771

Speier-D
Organ and tissue donor registry


SB 780

Burton-D
Medi-Cal: Downey Community Hospital Foundation meetings


SB 784

Baca-D
Surplus state property: state hospitals: Indian tribes


SB 789

Johannessen-R
Personal care service providers: reimbursement


SB 809

O'Connell-D
Licensing


SB 816

Escutia-D
Physician assistants and nurse practitioners


SB 817

Escutia-D
Health facilities: physician contracts


SB 819

Sher-D
El Camino Hospital District


SB 822

Escutia-D
Tobacco product settlement


SB 824

Sher-D
Tobacco-related illness: evidence


SB 825

Escutia-D
Health education programs


SB 835

Figueroa-D
Cosmetic surgery: education and training


SB 836

Figueroa-D
Advertising: truthfulness: referral services


SB 837

Figueroa-D
Cosmetic surgery: facilities


SB 838

Figueroa-D
Vocations: Pharmacy Law


SB 846

Escutia-D
Human services: individuals with disabilities


SB 847

Vasconcellos-D
Marijuana Research Act of 1999


SB 848

Vasconcellos-D
Medicinal marijuana


SB 856

Brulte-R
Medi-Cal: reimbursement: dental services


SB 866

Escutia-D
Medi-Cal: reimbursement rates: anesthesia


SB 880

Speier-D
Health care: screening tests: reimbursement


SB 885

Costa-D
Safe drinking water fund


SB 888

Ortiz-D
EMT personnel: licensure


SB 908

Murray-D
Family Friends Project


SB 910

Vasconcellos-D
Aging: strategic planning


SB 911

Figueroa-D
Emergency care: automatic external defibrillator


SB 929

Polanco-D
Optometry


SB 936

Ortiz-D
Mental health: older adults


SB 939

Monteith-R
Emergency medical services: county funding


SB 963*

Monteith-R
Sales and use taxes: exemptions: drugs or medicines


SB 979*

McPherson-R
Outdoor wood-burning ovens


SB 986

Karnette-D
Substance abuse: adult recovery maintenance facilities


SB 1004

Escutia-D
Disease: Birth Defects Monitoring Project


SB 1006

Costa-D
Drinking water: water softening and conditioning devices


SB 1009

Ortiz-D
Cancer research


SB 1013

Sher-D
Retail food facilities: inspection information


SB 1021

Figueroa-D
Health facilities


SB 1029

Haynes-R
HIV test results: public health reporting


SB 1032

Hughes-D
Medi-Cal: claims


SB 1033

Hughes-D
Child health and disability prevention


SB 1045

Murray-D
Healing arts


SB 1054

Haynes-R
Hospitals: medical staff


SB 1059

Johannessen-R
Naturopathic medicine


SB 1087

Kelley-R
Municipal hospital governing board: conflicts of interest


SB 1104*

Chesbro-D
Developmental services


SB 1105*

Chesbro-D
Health: youth pregnancies


SB 1111

Sher-D
Asthma


SB 1113

Haynes-R
Mental health: community treatment facility pilot project


SB 1115

Chesbro-D
Lyme disease: advisory committee and information service


SB 1128

Speier-D
Medi-Cal: provider reimbursement


SB 1143

Chesbro-D
Mental health: seclusion and restraints


SB 1154

Speier-D
Breast and gynecological cancer: treatment services


SB 1180

Speier-D
Cigarettes and tobacco products


SB 1182*

Alarcon-D
Taxes: food establishment employees: immunizations


SB 1185

Johnston-D
Genetic characteristics: definition


SB 1189

Kelley-R
Food safety certification examinations: exemption


SB 1191

Perata-D
Hereditary and congenital diseases: hemoglobin disorders


SB 1192

Polanco-D
Health facility financing: tobacco settlement funds


SB 1193

Knight-R
Clinics: grants-in-aid


SB 1200

Poochigian-R
Disabled access to public accommodations


SB 1215

Perata-D
Dental professionals


SB 1235

Polanco-D
State Dental Director


SB 1240*

Burton-D
Maternal and child health: food program: vendors


SB 1246

Escutia-D
State Health and Human Services Agency


SB 1256

Polanco-D
Hepatitis C: screening


SB 1258

Polanco-D
HIV infected persons: plan enrollment eligibility


SB 1287

Murray-D
Occupational therapy: licensure


SB 1291

Polanco-D
Health care: scope of practice


SB 1305

Figueroa-D
Medical malpractice settlements: report


SB 1308

Senate Business And Professions Committee
Healing arts: licensees


SCR 2

Murray-D
National Eye Care Month


SCR 18

Baca-D
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Awareness Month


SCR 24

O'Connell-D
National Lymphoma Awareness Week


SCR 27

Johannessen-R
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month


SCR 31

Polanco-D
Latino Behavioral Health Week


SCR 40

Hughes-D
Alzheimer's disease treatment


SCR 43

Baca-D
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month


SCR 46

Ortiz-D
Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month


SCR 49

Rainey-R
Breast Cancer Awareness Month


SCR 50

Monteith-R
Eat Dinner with Your Family Day


SJR 1

Speier-D
Medicare coverage


SJR 14

Costa-D
Immunosuppressive drugs


SJR 18

Kelley-R
Undocumented persons: medical and burial costs


SJR 21

Burton-D
Neurodevelopmental disorders


SR 11

Solis-D
Stroke Awareness Month


AB 5*

Battin-R
Taxes: exemptions: baby diapers and nonprescription drugs


AB 13*

Dickerson-R
Taxes: exemptions: over-the-counter medicines


AB 26

Migden-D
Domestic partners


AB 34*

Steinberg-D
Mental health funding: local grants


AB 40

Wayne-D
Breast cancer: treatment


AB 52

Cedillo-D
Noncitizens


AB 58

Davis-D
Health care practitioners


AB 63

Ducheny-D
Office of Binational Border Health


AB 82

Cunneen-R
Hospitals: medical staff contracts


AB 87

Floyd-D
Supplementary food program for women, infants, and children


AB 88

Thomson-D
Health care coverage: mental illness


AB 100

Thomson-D
Tobacco Settlement Fund


AB 103

Migden-D
HIV test results: public health reporting


AB 112

Florez-D
Local government: tobacco settlement


AB 124

Ackerman-R
Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board


AB 127

Granlund-R
Medi-Cal: orthotics and prosthetics


AB 136

Mazzoni-D
Drug paraphernalia: clean needle and syringe exchange


AB 141

Knox-D
Pharmacies


AB 155

Migden-D
Medi-Cal coverage for workers with disabilities


AB 160

Alquist-D
Personal income taxes: contributions: Alzheimer's disease


AB 161

Alquist-D
Osteoporosis


AB 210

Wildman-D
Pupil health services


AB 217

Wildman-D
Health care coverage: Medi-Cal


AB 231

Battin-R
Acupuncture


AB 249

Papan-D
Medi-Cal: inpatient hospital reimbursement


AB 251

Davis-D
Tobacco settlement: heart disease and cancer


AB 253

Thomson-D
Licensing


AB 254

Cedillo-D
Health facilities: sale of assets


AB 255

Torlakson-D
Tobacco litigation settlement funds


AB 256

Zettel-R
Waived laboratory directors


AB 257

Vincent-D
Alzheimer's Day Care-Resource Center Program


AB 261

Lempert-D
Pharmacists


AB 263*

Gallegos-D
Hospital facilities


AB 265

Davis-D
Physicians and surgeons: license fees


AB 271

Gallegos-D
Health care


AB 282

Torlakson-D
Health facility construction loan insurance


AB 319

Thomson-D
County programs: funding


AB 352

Migden-D
Professional licensing


AB 359

Aroner-D
Developmentally disabled persons: health care


AB 368

Kuehl-D
Partially sighted persons: prosthetic devices


AB 373*

Robert Pacheco-R
State developmental centers


AB 394

Kuehl-D
Health facilities: nursing staff


AB 400

Lempert-D
Psychology


AB 416

Machado-D
Personal information: disclosure


AB 421

Aroner-D
Health facilities: license suspension and revocation


AB 437

Wesson-D
Tobacco: sale to minors: enforcement


AB 440

Corbett-D
Health care providers: withheld funds


AB 461

Hertzberg-D
Physician and dental services: reimbursement levels


AB 469

Papan-D
Medi-Cal: managed care plans


AB 497

Gallegos-D
Medi-Cal: eligibility


AB 498

Longville-D
Dentistry: waterlines


AB 499

Aroner-D
Medi-Cal: assisted living demonstration project


AB 507

Runner-R
Abortion: informed consent: Medi-Cal


AB 518

Mazzoni-D
AIDS: clean needle and syringe exchange projects


AB 520

Cedillo-D
Medi-Cal: diabetes treatment


AB 523

Wildman-D
Developmental services: employees


AB 525

Kuehl-D
Health benefits


AB 532

Lempert-D
Human milk


AB 539

Papan-D
Cancer: firefighters and peace officers


AB 545

Robert Pacheco-R
Hearing aid dispensers


AB 549

Gallegos-D
Hospital mortgage insurance


AB 552

Thompson-R
Outpatient settings: general anesthesia


AB 556

Davis-D
Drugs and devices: conformity to federal law


AB 561

Romero-D
California Child Care Health Linkages Program


AB 607

Aroner-D
Foster Children's Health Care Services Act


AB 610

Jackson-D
Health care coverage: children's cancer


AB 611

Cardenas-D
Prenatal health: information dissemination


AB 635

Campbell-R
Food facilities


AB 656

Scott-D
Nurse assistants: training programs


AB 675

Thomson-D
Health facilities: registered nurses


AB 678

Dutra-D
Emergency medical services: immunization and screening


AB 689*

Gallegos-D
Medi-Cal


AB 708

Vincent-D
Parks and recreation: youth recreation: funding grants


AB 710

Calderon-D
Drinking water: perchlorate removal


AB 715

Firebaugh-D
Medi-Cal: contracts for services and case management


AB 724*

Dutra-D
State government


AB 750

Dutra-D
Spinal cord injury


AB 751

Gallegos-D
Disciplinary proceedings: procedures


AB 754

Aroner-D
Medi-Cal: managed care services


AB 757

Gallegos-D
Drugs for the elderly


AB 761

Briggs-R
Medi-Cal: disproportionate share providers


AB 784

Romero-D
Medi-Cal


AB 789

Campbell-R
Medi-Cal: benefits


AB 791

Thomson-D
Healing arts: pain management


AB 805*

Strom-Martin-D
Budget Act of 1999: augmentation


AB 827

Baldwin-R
Healing arts: nonconventional treatment


AB 835

Villaraigosa-D
County medical facilities


AB 844

Thomson-D
California Health Facilities Financing Authority: loans


AB 854

Cunneen-R
Wild animals: domestic ferrets


AB 866

Aroner-D
Developmentally disabled persons: health care


AB 878*

Cardenas-D
Medi-Cal: nonemergency transportation services


AB 885

Jackson-D
Coastal onsite sewage treatment systems


AB 887

Jackson-D
Tobacco settlement: Access to Care Fund


AB 891

Alquist-D
Health care decisions


AB 893

Alquist-D
Long-term care facilities: consumer information


AB 894

Alquist-D
Skilled nursing facilities


AB 896

Alquist-D
Alzheimer's disease: medications


AB 906

Maldonado-R
Battery: state hospital patient


AB 912

Maldonado-R
Caregiver background checks: fee waiver


AB 920

Cardenas-D
Comprehensive school health centers: funding


AB 927

Cedillo-D
Medi-Cal: prescribed drugs


AB 930

Calderon-D
Alcohol and drug programs: narcotic treatment programs


AB 949

Wiggins-D
Speech pathologists


AB 1015

Gallegos-D
Medi-Cal eligibility


AB 1043*

Shelley-D
Poison control centers: tax: grants


AB 1047

Firebaugh-D
AIDS: drug treatments


AB 1055

Villaraigosa-D
Playground equipment and facilities


AB 1061

McClintock-R
Health coverage


AB 1065

Ducheny-D
Children's dental care: pilot project


AB 1068

Ducheny-D
Medi-Cal: provider reimbursement


AB 1070*

Ducheny-D
Medi-Cal: medical education


AB 1071

Soto-D
Health programs: tobacco settlement funds


AB 1072

Ducheny-D
Medi-Cal: disproportionate share hospital funding


AB 1106

Assembly Human Services Committee
Developmental services: regional center alternatives


AB 1107*

Cedillo-D
Health Care


AB 1111*

Aroner-D
Social services


AB 1144

Aanestad-R
Psychology


AB 1146

Soto-D
Developmentally disabled adults


AB 1159

Granlund-R
Smoking: bars, taverns, clubs


AB 1161

Soto-D
Medi-Cal: nursing facilities


AB 1172*

Frusetta-R
Taxes: preventive health care credit: agricultural workers


AB 1198

Firebaugh-D
Diabetes Early Detection and Control Act


AB 1202

Firebaugh-D
Hemodialysis: technician training


AB 1207

Shelley-D
Environmental health and safety


AB 1209*

Assembly Health Committee
Medi-Cal: disproportionate share hospitals


AB 1215*

Thomson-D
Emergency medical services


AB 1216

Floyd-D
Workplace smoking prohibition


AB 1227

Runner-R
Hospitals


AB 1250

Ashburn-R
Medi-Cal: hospital reimbursement


AB 1253

Nakano-D
Health services pilot program: uninsured working poor


AB 1257

Strom-Martin-D
Developmental disabilities: admissions to facilities


AB 1258

Strom-Martin-D
Public health: agricultural homestay establishments


AB 1259

Strom-Martin-D
Human services: pilot program


AB 1297

Firebaugh-D
Medi-Cal providers: loans


AB 1298

Firebaugh-D
Medi-Cal: benefits: hearing tests


AB 1302

Thomson-D
Not-for-profit hospitals


AB 1310

Granlund-R
Medi-Cal: orthotics and prosthetics


AB 1353

Assembly Health Committee
Medi-Cal: disproportionate share provider hospitals


AB 1359*

Calderon-D
Medical devices


AB 1363

Davis-D
School health centers


AB 1380

Villaraigosa-D
Liability: health care providers


AB 1400

Honda-D
Childhood lead poisoning prevention


AB 1418

Strom-Martin-D
Midwives: authorized practices


AB 1424

House-R
Partial-birth abortion: ban


AB 1430

Bates-R
Prescriptions: electronic transmissions


AB 1433

Granlund-R
Certified nurse assistants


AB 1482*

Alquist-D
Stray animals: impounding requirements


AB 1492

Thomson-D
Traumatic brain injury project


AB 1513

Florez-D
Health facilities: general acute care hospitals


AB 1520

Leach-R
Bunk beds


AB 1542

Granlund-R
Physicians and surgeons: audits and inspections


AB 1545

Correa-D
Health practitioners


AB 1548

Cardoza-D
Environmental health: food


AB 1557

Migden-D
Clinical laboratories: unlicensed personnel


AB 1558

Wildman-D
Practice of medicine: unprofessional conduct


AB 1561

Aanestad-R
Medi-Cal services: Rural health


AB 1565

Papan-D
Damages: health care providers


AB 1576*

Assembly Health Committee
Children and family health programs


AB 1584*

Machado-D
Safe drinking water


AB 1592

Aroner-D
The Death with Dignity Act


AB 1594

Florez-D
Hepatitis A vaccinations


AB 1595

Migden-D
Cigar labeling


AB 1621

Thomson-D
Health care coverage: practice of medicine


AB 1680

Assembly Environmental Safety And Toxic Materials Committee
Environmental Health Policy Institute


ACR 16

Torlakson-D
California Fitness Month


ACR 24

Honda-D
National Sleep Awareness Week


ACR 25

Wildman-D
California Physical Fitness and Sports Month


ACR 27

Strom-Martin-D
Red Cross Month


ACR 31

Machado-D
National Boys and Girls Club Week


ACR 34

Cedillo-D
El Dia de los Ninos


ACR 46

Gallegos-D
Skin cancer and melanoma awareness


ACR 51

Wayne-D
Breast cancer


ACR 55

Olberg-R
Fibromyalgia Awareness Month


ACR 60

Corbett-D
Loma Prieta earthquake


ACR 72

Ashburn-R
Valley Fever Awareness Month


ACR 73

Thomson-D
Health screening and diagnosis


ACR 76

Campbell-R
California Family Month


ACR 79

Hertzberg-D
Retinoblastoma Awareness Month


ACR 80

Thomson-D
California Hospice Month


ACR 81

Reyes-D
California Grown Certified Farmers' Market


ACR 88

Cox-R
Rett Syndrome Awareness Month


ACR 89

Soto-D
Red Ribbon Week


AJR 17

Aroner-D
Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999


AJR 18

Reyes-D
Medicare coverage of prescription drugs


AJR 32

Strickland-R
Medicare payments


HR 9

Alquist-D
Hospice care postage stamp


HR 17

Strom-Martin-D
American Red Cross


HR 27

Bock-G
Dioxin


HR 29

Soto-D
Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week


HR 31

Pescetti-R
Children


HR 35

Machado-D
Media code of conduct