Health

• Affordable Care Act
• Aging and Long Term Care
• Emergency Medical Services
• Health Coverage/Insurance
• Health Facilities
• Health Professionals
• Medi-Cal
• Mental Health
• Public Health
• Miscellaneous

Note: * Denotes Urgency or Tax Levy Legislation.

Affordable Care Act

Go to Index

SB 18 (Hernandez-D) California Health Benefits Review Program: health insurance

Requests the California Health Benefits Review Program to assess, in addition to the health, medical, and financial impacts, the impact that health coverage mandates will have on essential health benefits and the California Health Benefits Exchange (Covered California).
(In Assembly Health Committee)

SB 22 (Beall-D) Health care coverage: mental health parity

Requires health plans and insurers to report to the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance, respectively, on compliance with state and federal law related to mental health parity.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 28 (Hernandez-D) California Health Benefit Exchange

Implements various provisions of Affordable Care Act relating to determining eligibility for the Medi-Cal program. Authorizes the Department of Health Care Services to implement some of those provisions by, among other things, All-County Letters, until the time any necessary regulations are adopted. Requires the Department to adopt regulations implementing these provisions by 7/1/17. Requires the program implementing provisions authorizing individuals to select Medi-Cal managed care plans via the California Healthcare Eligibility, Enrollment, and Retention System, as specified, to include training of individuals, including county human services staff, to carry out the program. Makes technical and clarifying changes to provisions relating to a new budgeting methodology for Medi-Cal county administrative costs and makes other technical changes.
Chapter 442, Statutes of 2013

SB 126 (Steinberg-D) Health coverage: pervasive developmental disorder or autism

Extends, until 1/1/17, the sunset date of an existing state health benefit mandate that requires health plans and health insurance policies to cover behavioral health treatment for pervasive developmental disorder, or autism, and requires plans and insurers to maintain adequate networks of pervasive developmental disorder or autism service providers.
Chapter 680, Statutes of 2013

SB 189 (Monning-D) Health care coverage: wellness programs

Prohibits a health plan or health insurer from offering a wellness plan unless certain requirements are met.
(Failed passage in Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 320 (Beall-D) Health care coverage: acquired brain injury

Prohibits a health care service plan contract or a health insurance policy from denying coverage for medically necessary medical or rehabilitation treatment for acquired brain injury at specified facilities. Permits enrollees to seek facilities outside of their service area.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 332* (Emmerson-R) California Health Benefit Exchange: records

Makes contracts and rates of payment under those contracts of the California Health Benefit Exchange (Covered California) open to public inspection under the Public Records Act, except for health plan contracts and their rates, which are made public in three and four years respectively. Makes the impressions, opinions, recommendations, meeting minutes, research, work product, theories, strategy of the board or the staff of Covered California, or records that provide instructions, advice, or training to employees subject to the Public Records Act by deleting an exemption from disclosure for these items.
Chapter 446, Statutes of 2013

SB 509* (DeSaulnier-D) California Health Benefit Exchange: background checks

Requires the California Health Benefits Exchange (Covered California) to submit to the Department of Justice (DOJ), fingerprint images and related information of employees, prospective employees, contractors, subcontractors, volunteers, or vendors for the purposes of obtaining criminal history information; requires Covered California to require any services contract, interagency agreement, or public entity agreement to require the same background check information from their contractors and contractor's employees; requires the DOJ to forward to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, requests for federal summary criminal history information, and requires the DOJ to review the information returned from the FBI and to compile and disseminate a response to the board; and requires the DOJ to charge a fee sufficient to cover the costs of processing these requests.
Chapter 10, Statutes of 2013

SB 639 (Hernandez-D) Health care coverage

Codifies provisions of the Affordable Care Act relating to out-of-pocket maximums on cost-sharing, health plan and insurer actuarial value coverage levels and catastrophic coverage requirements, and requirements on health insurers for coverage of out-of-network emergency services. Applies out-of-pocket limits to specialized products that offer essential health benefits, and permits carriers in the small group market to establish an index rate no more frequently than each calendar quarter.
Chapter 316, Statutes of 2013

SB 746 (Leno-D) Health care coverage: premium rates

Establishes new data reporting requirements on health plans and health insurers sold in the large group market and establishes new specific data reporting requirements related to annual medical trend factors by service category, as well as claims data or de-identified patient-level data, as specified, for a health care service plan or health insurer that exclusively contracts with no more than two medical groups in the state to provide or arrange for professional medical services for the enrollees of the plan (referring to Kaiser Permanente).
Vetoed

SB 799* (Calderon-D) Health coverage: colorectal cancer: testing and screening

Requires a health care service plan contract or a health insurance policy, except as specified, that is issued, amended, or renewed on or after 1/1/14, to provide coverage for genetic testing for hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer, and annual screenings for colorectal cancer under specified circumstances. Requires a physician and surgeon who make a diagnosis that a patient has colorectal cancer to provide the patient with specified information.
(In Senate Health Committee)

SB 800 (Lara-D) Health care coverage programs: transition

Transfers specified employees of the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board to the Department of Health Care Services or Covered California, if any statute dissolves or terminates the Board. Requires the Department to provide Covered California, or its designee, information about parents or caretakers of children enrolled in the Healthy Families Program or the targeted low-income Medi-Cal program in order to conduct outreach to potentially eligible individuals.
Chapter 448, Statutes of 2013

SB 1X1 (Hernandez-D) Medi-Cal: eligibility

Establishes the existing Medi-Cal benefit package as the benefit package for the expansion population eligible under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and expands the Medi-Cal benefit package for the existing population, and newly eligible under the ACA, to include mental health services and substance use disorder services required under the essential health benefit legislation adopted in 2012. Implements a number of the Medicaid ACA-related provisions to simplify the eligibility, enrollment and renewal processes for Medi-Cal.
Chapter 4, Statutes of 2013, First Extraordinary Session
AB 1X1 (Perez-D) is the companion measure to this bill.

SB 2X1 (Hernandez-D) Health care coverage

Applies the individual insurance market reforms of the Affordable Care Act to health care service plans regulated by the Department of Managed Health Care and updates the small group market laws for health plans to be consistent with final federal regulations.
Chapter 2, Statutes of 2013, First Extraordinary Session
AB 2X1 (Perez-D) is the companion measure to this bill.

SB 3X1 (Hernandez-D) Health care coverage: bridge plan

Requires the California Health Benefit Exchange (Covered California), by means of selective contracting, to make a bridge plan product available to specified eligible individuals, as a qualified health plan. Exempts the bridge plan product from certain requirements that apply to qualified health plans. Requires the Department of Health Care Services to include provisions relating to bridge plan products in its contracts with Medi-Cal managed care plans. Requires Covered California to evaluate three years of data from the bridge plan products, as specified. Repeals Covered California's authority for enrollment in a bridge plan product on the October 1 that falls five years after the date of federal approval.
Chapter 5, Statutes of 2013, First Extraordinary Session

SB 4X1* (Emmerson-R) California Health Benefit Exchange: employees & contractors

Requires all employees, prospective employees, contractors, subcontractors, and vendors, who facilitate enrollment of persons in a qualified health plan in the California Health Benefit Exchange (Covered California) and who, in the course and scope of their employment, have access to the financial or medical information of enrollees or potential enrollees, to be fingerprinted for the purpose of obtaining criminal history information. Prohibits a person who has been convicted of felony crimes of dishonesty or breach of trust in a state or federal jurisdiction or other specified crimes from being hired by or contracting with Covered California for the purpose of facilitating enrollment of persons in a qualified health plan in Covered California or for any position where, in the course and scope of his/her employment, he/she will have access to the financial or medical information of enrollees or potential enrollees of Covered California. Requires an applicant to notify Covered California of any prescribed misdemeanor or felony convictions, filing of charges, or administrative actions.
(Died in Senate Health Committee)

AB 18* (Pan-D) Health care coverage: pediatric oral care benefits

Requires a specialized health care service plan contract and specialized health insurance policy that provides pediatric oral care benefits, whether or not it is bundled with a qualified health plan or standing alone, to also comply with minimum medical loss ratios and provide an annual rebate, as specified. Applies existing provisions related to access to care in a timely manner and adequacy of numbers of professional providers and institutional providers to a specialized health care service plan and specialized health insurance policy that provides pediatric oral care benefits, whether or not it is bundled with a qualified health plan or standing alone.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 175 (V. Manuel Pérez-D) Health care coverage

Establishes the Uncovered Health Trust Fund (Trust) for the purpose of providing health care coverage to workers ineligible for health care coverage under federal and state programs, including the Affordable Care Act. Authorizes voluntary contributions to be deposited into the Trust. Requires that Trust monies, as specified, be distributed by the Primary Health Care Services Branch of the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) through its Rural Health Clinic Program. Requires DHCS to publish a list of employers who contributed to the Trust and makes that list available to nonprofit community health centers. Also requires DHCS to provide those employers with a list of nonprofit community health centers accessible to workers. Requires DHCS, on or before 1/1/15, to prepare an application form, as specified, for nonprofit community health centers to use to apply for monies from the Trust. Requires that the costs to the DHCS of administering the Trust be provided from the Trust, and prohibits these costs from exceeding 10% of the total Trust monies.
(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 219 (Perea-D) Health care coverage: cancer treatment

Requires health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies issued on or after 1/1/15, that cover prescribed, orally administered, anti-cancer medications to limit an enrollee or insured's total cost share to no more than $200 per filled prescription, as specified. Sunsets these provisions on 1/1/19.
Chapter 661, Statutes of 2013

AB 314 (Pan-D) Health care coverage: self-funded student plans

Prohibits a health care plan directly operated by a bona fide public or private college or university that directly provides health care services only to its students, faculty, staff, administration, and their respective dependents from establishing an annual limit or a lifetime limit on the dollar value of essential health benefits, as defined, for any participant or beneficiary.
(In Senate Education Committee)

AB 369 (Pan-D) California Health Benefit Exchange: report

Extends the date the California Health Benefit Exchange (Covered California) Board is required to report, or contract with an independent entity to report, to the Legislature on whether or not to adopt the option under the Affordable Care Act to merge the individual and small employer insurance markets from 12/1/18 to 3/1/19.
(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 390 (Logue-R) Health care

Requires the California Health Benefit Exchange (Covered California) to submit to the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Legislative Analyst's Office a complete and detailed budget, utilizing performance-based budgeting, as defined, that sets forth all proposed expenditures and estimated revenues for the ensuing fiscal year. Requires Covered California to, if necessary, develop a process for consulting with contractors or other responsible entities and stakeholders to develop information related to performance standards and program performance. Requires the DOF to include specified performance-based budgeting information for Covered California in the Governor's Budget proposal and to post that information on the DOF's Internet Web site. Also requires the Legislative Analyst's Office to review the adequacy of performance metrics and progress toward targeted outcomes in preparing its review of the Governor's Budget proposal as it relates to Covered California.
(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 422 (Nazarian-D) School lunch program applications: health care notice

Requires that the notification schools are authorized to include with information about the school lunch program, and to advise the applicant that he/she may be eligible for reduced-cost comprehensive health care coverage through California Health Benefit Exchange (Covered California) and to provide the applicant with the contact information for Covered California, including its Internet Web site and telephone number.
Chapter 440, Statutes of 2013

AB 460 (Ammiano-D) Health care coverage: infertility

Adds non-discrimination language to the existing requirement that health plans and health insurers offer coverage for the treatment of infertility.
Chapter 644, Statutes of 2013

AB 617 (Nazarian-D) California Health Benefit Exchange: appeals

Requires the California Health Benefit Exchange (Covered California) Board to contract with the Department of Social Services to serve as the Covered California appeals entity designated to hear appeals of eligibility determination or redetermination for persons in the individual market. Establishes an appeals process for initial eligibility or enrollment determinations and redeterminations for insurance affordability programs, as defined, including an informal resolution process, as specified, establishing procedures and timelines for hearings with the appeals entity, and notice provisions. Also establishes continuing eligibility for individuals during the appeals process.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 710 (Pan-D) California Health Benefit Exchange: multiemployer plans

Adds multiemployer plans to the list of entities permitted to facilitate purchase of qualified health plans in the California Health Benefit Exchange, now called Covered California, no later than 7/1/14, to the extent permitted by federal law.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 912 (Quirk-Silva-D) Health care coverage: fertility preservation

Requires every large group health care service plan contract and health insurance policy that is issued, amended, or renewed, on and after 1/1/14, to provide coverage for medically necessary expenses for standard fertility preservation services, as defined, when a necessary medical treatment may cause iatrogenic infertility to an enrollee or insured. Also authorizes the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance to adopt regulations to implement these provisions.
Vetoed

AB 1129* (Beth Gaines-R) Income tax: health savings accounts

Allows a deduction in connection with health savings accounts, in conformity with federal law, for taxable years beginning on and after 1/1/13. Authorizes, in general, the deduction to be an amount equal to the aggregate amount paid in cash during the taxable year by, or on behalf of, an eligible individual, as defined, to a health savings account of that individual, as provided. Provides related conformity to federal law with respect to the allowance of rollovers from Archer Medical Savings Accounts, health flexible spending arrangements, or health reimbursement accounts to a health savings account, and penalties in connection therewith for taxable years beginning on and after 1/1/13.
(In Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 1180* (Pan-D) Health care coverage: federally eligible defined individuals

Makes inoperative, because of the Affordable Care Act, several provisions in existing law that implement the health insurance laws of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and additional provisions that provide former employee's rights to convert their group health insurance coverage to individual market coverage without medical underwriting. Establishes notification requirements informing individuals affected by this bill of health insurance available in 2014.
Chapter 441, Statutes of 2013

AB 1208 (Pan-D) Insurance affordability programs: application form

Authorizes the application form for insurance affordability programs to include questions that are voluntary for applicants to answer regarding sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. Requires, effective 1/1/15, the form to include questions that are voluntary for applicants to answer regarding the demographic data categories specified.
Vetoed

AB 1428* (Conway-R) California Health Benefit Exchange: employees/contractors

Requires the California Health Benefit Exchange (Covered California) Board's criminal background check requirement for specified employees and volunteers and vendors, to be consistent with a specific federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services document or further update guidance or regulations. Requires fingerprint images for specified individuals whose duties include access to the specified information contained in the information systems and devices of Covered California.
Chapter 561, Statutes of 2013

AB 1X1 (John A. Pérez-D) Medi-Cal: eligibility

Enacts statutory changes necessary to implement the coverage expansion, eligibility, simplified enrollment benefits, and retention provisions of the Affordable Care Act related to the Medicaid Program (Medi-Cal in California) and the California Children's Health Insurance Program. Contains the provisions of the Affordable Care Act relating to Medi-Cal benefits.
Chapter 3, Statutes of 2013, First Extraordinary Session
Makes the enactment of this bill contingent upon enactment of SB 1X1 (Hernandez-D). SB 1X1 is the companion measure to this bill.

AB 2X1 (Pan-D) Health care coverage

Reforms California's individual market in accordance with the Affordable Care Act and applies its provisions to insurers regulated by the Department of Insurance in the individual market; requires guaranteed issue of individual market health insurance policies; prohibits the use of preexisting condition exclusions; establishes open and special enrollment periods consistent with the California Health Benefit Exchange (Covered California); prohibits conditioning issuance or offering based on specified rating factors; prohibits specified marketing and solicitation practices consistent with small group requirements; requires guaranteed renewability of plans; and permits rating factors based on age, geographic region and family size only. Makes conforming changes to California's small group law enacted in AB 1083 (Monning-D, Chapter 852, Statutes of 2012).
Chapter 1, Statutes of 2013, First Extraordinary Session
SB 2X1 (Hernandez-D) is the companion measure to this bill.

AJR 23 (Logue-R) Requirement to purchase health insurance

Urges the U.S. President to remove any financial oversight responsibilities of the Internal Revenue Service with regard to the administration of the Affordable Care Act and instead has those duties transferred to a separate board, created by and accountable to the U.S. Congress.
(In Assembly Health Committee)

Aging and Long Term Care

Go to Top    Go to Index

SB 609 (Wolk-D) Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman

Increases fines for willfully interfering with the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program's lawful actions from a maximum of $1,000 to a maximum of $2,500, and makes other minor and technical changes.
Chapter 521, Statutes of 2013

SB 728 (Wolk-D) Long-term care facilities: health care decisions

Requires specified health facilities, residential facilities and residential care facilities for the elderly to provide a person with a Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment form, as defined, upon his/her admission to the facility. Provides that violations of these provisions do not constitute a crime.
(In Senate Health Committee)

SJR 4 (Monning-D) Reauthorization of the federal Older Americans Act of 1965

Memorializes the President and the Congress of the U.S. to enact appropriate legislation reauthorizing the federal Older Americans Act of 1965.
Resolution Chapter 36, Statutes of 2013

SJR 11 (DeSaulnier-D) Housing with services

Urges the President and the Congress of the U.S. to support "housing with services" models which combine federally subsidized housing programs with supportive services that enable residents to age in their residency.
Resolution Chapter 84, Statutes of 2013

AB 261 (Chesbro-D) Residential care facilities for the elderly: fees and charge

Prohibits Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFE) from requiring advance notice to terminate an admission agreement upon death of a resident, prohibits the accrual of any fees once the personal property of a deceased resident is removed and requires that within three days of a patient's death the RCFE provide a written notice of the facility's polices involving contract termination and refunds, as specified. Requires RCFEs to refund any fees paid in advance that cover the time after the resident's property has been removed and makes other conforming changes.
Chapter 290, Statutes of 2013

AJR 29 (Brown-D) Senior nutrition services and programs: funding

Memorializes the President of the U.S. and Congress to restore federal funding cuts, due to sequestration, to senior nutrition programs, and to declare senior nutrition services and programs exempt from further budget cuts.
(In Assembly Aging and Long-Term Care Committee)

Emergency Medical Services

Go to Top    Go to Index

SB 191 (Padilla-D) Emergency medical services

Extends the 1/1/14 sunset date to 1/1/17 on two provisions of existing law: (1) authorizing counties to assess an additional $2 on every $10 of certain fines and penalties, including Vehicle Code violations, to supplement revenues for county Maddy Emergency Medical Services Funds, and (2) requiring 15% of these additional funds to be used for pediatric trauma care.
Chapter 600, Statutes of 2013

SB 535 (Nielsen-R) Commission on Emergency Medical Services

Increases the membership of the Emergency Medical Services Commission from 18 to 20 members. Requires the additional members to be an air ambulance representative appointed by the Senate Rules Committee from a list of three names submitted by the California Association of Air Medical Services, and a representative appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly from a public agency that provides air rescue and transport.
Vetoed

AB 633 (Salas-D) Emergency medical services: civil liability

Prohibits an employer from adopting or enforcing a policy prohibiting an employee from voluntarily providing emergency medical services, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, except when a person has a do-not-resuscitate order, as specified.
Chapter 591, Statutes of 2013

AB 704 (Blumenfield-D) Emergency medical services: military experience

Requires the Emergency Medical Services Authority to develop and adopt regulations to accept the education, training and practical experience that an applicant received as a member of the armed forces toward the qualifications and requirements for certification as an emergency medical technician (EMT-I), an advanced emergency medical technician (EMT-II), or licensure as an emergency medical technician-paramedic (EMT-P).
Vetoed

Health Coverage/Insurance

Go to Top    Go to Index

SB 117 (Hueso-D) Integrative cancer treatment

Prohibits a physician and surgeon, including an osteopathic physician and surgeon, from recommending, prescribing, or providing integrative cancer treatment, as defined, to cancer patients unless certain requirements are met, including, but not limited to, that the treatment is recommended or prescribed after informed consent is given and that the treatment recommended or prescribed meets the evidence-based medical standard, as specified. Specifies that a failure of a physician and surgeon to comply with these requirements constitutes unprofessional conduct and cause for discipline by the applicable licensing board. Requires the Department of Public Health to investigate violations of these provisions and to hold hearings with respect to compliance with these provisions, and makes conforming changes to other related provisions.
(In Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee)

SB 161 (Hernandez-D) Stop-loss insurance coverage

Establishes regulatory requirements for stop-loss insurance for small employers, including on or after 1/1/16, setting an individual attachment point of $40,000 or greater and an aggregate attachment point of the greater of $5,000 times the total number of group members, 120% of expected claims, or $40,000. Exempts small employer stop-loss insurance issued prior to 9/1/13, from these attachment point requirements.
Chapter 443, Statutes of 2013

SB 266 (Lieu-D) Health care coverage: out-of-network coverage

Prohibits a medical group or clinic from stating that it is within a patient's health plan or insurance policy network, unless all of the individual providers affiliated with the medical group or clinic are in the network. Requires acute care hospitals to provide notice to patients that individual providers within the hospital may not be in the patient's health plan or insurance policy network.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 351 (Hernandez-D) Health care coverage: hospital billing

Establishes a method by which hospitals are identified as "diagnosis and billing outlier hospitals," establishes an independent medical review system under which patients and payers could submit bills from outlier hospitals to independent review, and prohibits hospital systems with three or more outlier hospitals from acquiring a new hospital.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 353 (Lieu-D) Health care coverage: language assistance

Requires the translation of specified documents by trained and qualified translators when a health care service plan, regulated by the Department of Managed Health Care, insurer, regulated by the Department of Insurance, or any other person or business markets or advertises health insurance products in the individual or small group markets in a non-English language that is not a threshold language under existing law.
Chapter 447, Statutes of 2013

SB 677 (Monning-D) Health care coverage: agencies: reports

Deletes obsolete references to the provision requiring the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, by 1/20/04, report to the Legislature specified information with regard to the State Children's Health Insurance Program, and the requirement that the Board provide, by 4/15/98, a proposal relating to drug and alcohol treatment programs for children. Deletes the requirement that the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance joint senior level working group report its findings for review and approval and submission every five years to the Legislature.
(In Senate Health Committee)

SB 780 (Jackson-D) Health care coverage

Requires health plans and certain health insurers to provide specified notices to consumers when changes are made to a health care network. Requires health plans and certain health insurers to allow consumers to continue to receive care from certain providers.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 299 (Holden-D) Prescription drug benefits

Prohibits a health plan or insurer that provides prescription drug benefits from requiring an enrollee to utilize in-network mail order pharmacy services for covered prescription drugs available at an in-network retail pharmacy. Prohibits the plan or insurer from requiring authorization, from either the plan or prescriber, for the enrollee's choice of obtaining a drug through mail order or at a retail pharmacy. Excludes from this provision drugs unavailable in retail pharmacies due to a manufacturer's instructions or restrictions.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 578 (Dickinson-D) Health care

Establishes a public disclosure and hearing process for an entity applying for licensure as a health care service plan at the Department of Managed Health Care or an applicant for a certificate of authority to transact health insurance from the Department of Insurance.
(In Senate Health Committee)

AB 676 (Fox-D) Health care coverage: postdischarge care needs

Establishes time frames and requirements for a health plan, insurer, and the Department of Health Care Services with regard to Medi-Cal, including Medi-Cal managed care plans, to facilitate the discharge of a patient who no longer requires inpatient hospital care. Establishes a financial penalty on these payers for failure to comply with these requirements.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 720 (Skinner-D) Inmates: health care enrollment

Requires the board of supervisors in each county to designate an entity to assist certain jail inmates to apply for a health insurance affordability program, as defined. Prohibits county jail inmates who are currently enrolled in the Medi-Cal from being terminated from the program due to their detention, unless required by federal law or they become otherwise ineligible, as specified. Deletes the age restriction relating to Medi-Cal benefits provided to inmates of the public institution.
Chapter 646, Statutes of 2013

AB 889 (Frazier-D) Health care coverage: prescription drugs

Permits health care service plans and insurers, when there is more than one drug that is appropriate for the treatment of a medical condition, to require step therapy. Prohibits a health plan from requiring an enrollee to try and fail on more than two medications before allowing the enrollee access to the medication, or generically equivalent drug, as specified.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 1372 (Bonilla-D) Health insurance: pervasive developmental disorder or autism

Extends the operation of specified terms related to behavioral health treatment, including provider, professional provider, and network provider, to include the term qualified autism provider until 7/1/16, and repeals these provisions on 1/1/17.
(In Assembly Health Committee)

Health Facilities

Go to Top    Go to Index

SB 455 (Hernandez-D) General acute care hospitals: patient classification system

Requires a committee for each general acute care hospital to review, at least annually, the reliability of its patient classification system. Requires at least 50% of the committee members to be registered nurses who provide direct patient care, and requires that these registered nurses be appointed by their bargaining agent, if any.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 534 (Hernandez-D) Health and care facilities

Requires chronic dialysis clinics, surgical clinics, rehabilitation clinics, and intermediate care facilities/developmentally disabled-nursing to meet federal certification standards under the Department of Public Health and adopts licensing regulations for these facilities.
Chapter 722, Statutes of 2013

SB 563 (Galgiani-D) OSHPD: hospital construction

Requires the person or entity requesting a copy of construction documents maintained by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development to bear the actual cost of producing the copy of those documents, including staff time spent retrieving, inspecting, and handling the documents, copying costs, and shipping costs.
Chapter 470, Statutes of 2013

SB 580 (Leno-D) Crime victims: trauma recovery center grants

Authorizes the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board as specified, to administer a program to award, upon appropriation by the Legislature, up to $2 million in grants, annually, to trauma recovery centers, as defined.
(In Assembly Public Safety Committee)

SB 631 (Beall-D) Health care: health facilities: observation and short-stay

Requires a general acute care hospital that provides observation and short-stay observation services, as defined, to apply for approval from the Department of Public Health to provide the services as a supplemental service, and requires a general acute care hospital to obtain a special permit to provide short-stay observation services. Requires the Department to adopt and enforce staffing standards for certain outpatient services and all ambulatory surgery centers, as specified, and makes other conforming changes.
(In Senate Health Committee)

SB 701 (Emmerson-R) Hospital-affiliated outpatient settings: accreditation

Creates entities known as hospital-affiliated outpatient settings, as defined, and aligns the accreditation and reporting processes with those of the general acute care hospital with which the hospital-affiliated outpatient settings is affiliated.
(In Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee)

SB 816 (Senate Health Committee) Hospice facilities: developmental/intellectual disabilities

Makes technical, non-substantive changes to laws affecting hospice facilities and developmental and intellectual disabilities.
Chapter 289, Statutes of 2013

AB 40 (Mansoor-R) Substance abuse: recovery and treatment facilities

Requires the Department of Alcohol and Drug Program's death investigation policy be designed to ensure a resident's death is reported by the licensee and addressed by the Department in a timely manner, as specified.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 259 (Logue-R) Health and care facilities: CPR

Makes it a misdemeanor for a long-term health care facility, community care facility, adult day health care center, or residential care facility for the elderly, to have a policy that prohibits any employee from administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation with an exception if there is a "do not resuscitate" form or other similar instructions, as specified.
(In Senate Health Committee)

AB 297 (Chesbro-D) Primary care clinics

Authorizes a primary care clinic to submit verification of certification from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care or any other accrediting organization recognized by the Department of Public Health to the Licensing and Certification Division of the Department for purposes of data collection and extraction for licensing and certification fee calculations.
Chapter 583, Statutes of 2013

AB 364 (Ian Calderon-D) Community care facilities: unannounced visits

Changes the requirement that the Department of Social Services visit a licensed community care facility from no less than once every five years to no less than once every two years.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 395 (Fox-D) Alcoholism and drug abuse treatment facilities

Expands the types of facilities licensed by the Department of Health Care Services as alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facilities to include facilities that provide medical care.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 462 (Stone-D) Fire protection: residential care facilities

Requires a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly or Adult Residential Facility that has a valid license as of a 1/1/14, to have installed and maintained on and after 1/1/18, an operable automatic fire sprinkler system approved by the State Fire Marshal.
(In Assembly Governmental Organization Committee)

AB 520 (Chesbro-D) Alcoholic beverages: licenses

Replaces the term "rest homes" with "senior care facilities" as it relates to existing law authorizing a special beer and wine license for hospitals, convalescent homes, and rest homes that permit the sale or service of beer and wine purchased from a licensed winegrower or beer and wine wholesaler only to patients or residents of those facilities.
(In Assembly Governmental Organization Committee)

AB 559 (Gordon-D) Residential care facilities for the elderly

Adds to the list of facilities that are exempt from regulation as a residential care facility for the elderly a home or facility approved and annually reviewed by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs as a medical foster home, as defined, in which care is provided exclusively to three or fewer veterans.
(In Assembly Human Services Committee)

AB 581 (Ammiano-D) Care facilities: retaliation

Extends discrimination and retaliation protections to a resident or employee of a community care facility, residential care facility, or residential care facility for the elderly who has filed with the Department of Social Services or a state or local ombudsman a complaint, grievance, or request for inspection regarding the facility.
Chapter 295, Statutes of 2013

AB 591 (Fox-D) Hospital emergency room: geriatric physician

Requires each general acute care hospital with an emergency department to have, at all times, a geriatric physician serving on an "on-call" basis to that department.
(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 620 (Buchanan-D) Health and care facilities: missing patients

Requires specified health facilities to develop and comply with an absentee notification plan, as specified, for the purpose of addressing issues that arise when a patient is missing from the facility. Requires the plan to include a requirement that an administrator of the facility inform the patient's authorized representative when that patient is missing from the facility, except under specified circumstances, and the circumstances in which local law enforcement must be notified.
Chapter 674, Statutes of 2013

AB 663 (Gomez-D) Care facilities: training requirements

Requires the Adult Residential Facility and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly administrator training program and ombudsman training program to include training in cultural competency and sensitivity in issues relating to the aging lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.
Chapter 675, Statutes of 2013

AB 689 (Bonta-D) Health facilities: influenza

Requires each general acute care hospital to offer an onsite influenza vaccine annually to all patients prior to discharge, as specified, and requires hospitals to inform patients the patient may be required to pay for the vaccination.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 697 (Gomez-D) Nursing education: service in state veterans homes

Establishes a loan assumption program for employees of state veterans' homes within the State Nursing Assumption Program of Loans for Education program; provides loan assumption benefits to persons who fulfill agreements to work full time for four consecutive years as clinical registered nurses in state veterans' homes, as specified, and provides for a progressive assumption of the amount of a qualifying loan over four consecutive years of qualifying clinical registered nurses service, up to a total loan assumption of $20,000. Requires that, in any fiscal year, the Student Aid Commission award no more than the number of warrants that are authorized in the Budget Act for that fiscal year for the assumption of loans pursuant to the program.
(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 961 (Levine-D) Health facilities: investigations: public disclosure

Requires the Department of Public Health to complete its investigation of a long-term health care facility and issue a citation, if any, within specified time frames. Authorizes the Department of Public Health and the Department of Social Services to publicly notice facility investigation and evaluation information as long as the facility has a license capacity of 16 beds or more and the name and personally identifiable information of any person with developmental disabilities or who is involuntarily detained is not included.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 973 (Quirk-Silva-D) Long-term health facilities: culture change

Requires the Department of Public Health to use specified funds from the state and federal Health Facilities Citation Penalty Accounts to contract through a competitive bid process with a nonprofit organization that meets specified criteria to promote culture change and person-centered care in long-term care facilities.
(On Assembly Inactive File)

AB 975 (Wieckowski-D) Health facilities community benefits

Revises California's nonprofit community benefits requirements to include multispecialty clinics and narrows the activities that constitute community benefits, creates a definition of charity care, requires the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development to develop a standardized methodology for calculating community benefits, calculate the value of community benefits for submitting entities, and to issue civil penalties for noncompliance with filing requirements.
(On Assembly Inactive File)

AB 980 (Pan-D) Primary care clinics: abortion

Requires the California Building Standards Commission to adopt emergency regulations to delete a provision of the 2013 California Building Standards Code that establishes building standards for primary care clinics that provide abortion services, and prohibits the Commission from adopting any building code standards for clinics providing medication or aspiration abortion services that differ from construction standards applicable to other primary care clinics. Requires the Department of Public Health, no later than 7/1/14, to repeal or revise regulations relating to abortion services in primary care clinics to ensure that any requirements specific to abortion services are consistent with applicable law and medical standards of care.
Chapter 663, Statutes of 2013

AB 1054 (Chesbro-D) Mental health: skilled nursing facility: reimbursement rate

Revises the reimbursement rate by counties to institutions for mental disease licensed as skilled nursing facilities by providing for a 3.5% annual increase rather than a 4.7% annual increase, effective 7/1/14.
Chapter 303, Statutes of 2013

AB 1215 (Hagman-R) Clinical laboratories

Expands the definition of "laboratory director" to include a duly licensed clinical laboratory scientist and a duly licensed limited clinical laboratory scientist and authorizes these individuals to perform the duties and responsibilities of a waived laboratory director, as specified, under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988.
Chapter 199, Statutes of 2013

AB 1312 (Brown-D) Health facilities: health care standards of practice

Authorizes the Department of Public Health to, without taking regulatory action, update references in regulations to health care standards of practice adopted by a recognized state or national association, when the state or national association and its outdated standards are already named in the regulations, by posting on its Internet Web site in accordance with specified notice, public comment, and hearing requirements.
(In Assembly Health Committee)

Health Professionals

Go to Top    Go to Index

SB 20 (Hernandez-D) Health care: workforce training

Requires, beginning on the date that the California Major Risk Medical Insurance Program becomes inoperative, all the funds in the Managed Care Administrative Fines and Penalties Fund, to be transferred each year to the Medically Underserved Account for Physicians in the Health Professions Education Fund, for use by the Steven M. Thompson Physician Corps Loan Repayment Program.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 127 (Gaines-R) Firearms: mentally disordered persons

Requires that reports by a licensed psychotherapist to a local law enforcement agency regarding the identity of a person who has communicated to that therapist a serious threat of physical violence against a reasonably identifiable victim(s) be made within 24 hours, and requires that local law enforcement agencies, when they receive such reports, notify the Department of Justice electronically and within 24 hours of receiving that report.
Chapter 753, Statutes of 2013

SB 271 (Hernandez-D) Associate Degree Nursing Scholarship Program

Deletes the 1/1/14 sunset date of the Associate Degree Nursing Scholarship Pilot Program, requires the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development to post the Program statistics and updates on its Internet Web site, and makes other technical, conforming changes.
Chapter 384, Statutes of 2013

SB 494 (Monning-D) Health care providers

Requires a health care service plan licensed by the Department of Managed Health Care to ensure one primary care physician for every 2,000 enrollees and authorizes up to an additional 1,000 enrollees for each full-time equivalent non-physician medical practitioner supervised by that primary care physician until 1/1/19.
Chapter 684, Statutes of 2013

SB 570 (DeSaulnier-D) Alcohol and other drug counselors

Requires alcohol or other drug counselors to submit criminal background checks for review by the Department of Health Care Services.
(On Assembly Inactive File)

AB 154 (Atkins-D) Abortion

Permits nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, and physician assistants, who complete specified training and comply with specified standardized procedures or protocols to perform an abortion by aspiration techniques during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Chapter 662, Statutes of 2013

AB 565 (Salas-D) California Physician Corps Program

Revises the definition of a practice setting for purposes of the Steven M. Thompson Physician Corps Loan Repayment Program (STLRP) to include a physician owned and operated medical practice setting that provides primary care located in a medically underserved area (MUA), as specified. Revises the criteria of the STLRP to require that an applicant have three years providing health care services to medically underserved populations or in a MUA and to give priority consideration to applicants from rural communities who agree to practice in a physician owned and operated practice setting, as specified. Deletes the STLRP guideline that seeks to place the most qualified applicants in the areas with the greatest need and replaces it with the requirement that the STLRP gives preference to applicants who agree to practice in a federally designated health professional shortage area or MUA and who agree to serve a medically underserved populations.
Chapter 378, Statutes of 2013

AB 589 (Fox-D) Medical education: underrepresented medical specialties

Provides loan assumption benefits to persons who agree to work full time for four consecutive years in California as physicians practicing in underrepresented specialties, as specified. Provides for a progressive assumption of the amount of a qualifying loan over four consecutive years of qualifying practice, up to a total loan assumption of $20,000 and requires that, in any fiscal year, the Student Aid Commission award no more than the number of warrants that are authorized in the Budget Act for that fiscal year for the assumption of loans. This program becomes inoperative on 7/1/19, and is repealed on 1/1/20.
(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 599 (Donnelly-R) Minors: vaccinations: parental consent

Provides that existing law which allows a minor who is 12 years of age or older and who may have come into contact with an infectious, contagious, or communicable disease to consent to medical care, as specified, does not authorize a minor to receive a vaccine without the consent of the parent or guardian of the minor.
(Failed passage in Assembly Health Committee)

AB 771 (Jones-R) Public health: wellness programs

Requires the Secretary of the California Health and Human Services (HHS) Agency to apply to the U.S. Secretary of HHS to allow California to be a participating pilot state in the wellness program demonstration project in accordance with federal law. Requires the Secretary of California HHS to petition the U.S. Secretary of HHS to change federal regulations to allow an employer in California to offer employees rewards of up to 50% of the cost of health care coverage for participating in a wellness program that meets all of the requirements of the Affordable Care Act.
(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 860 (Perea-D) Medical school scholarships

Revises the distribution scheme for funds from the Managed Care Administrative Fines and Penalties Fund by requiring $600,000 to be transferred to the Steven M. Thompson Medical School Scholarship Program before any funds are transferred to the Major Risk Medical Insurance Program.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1136 (Levine-D) Pharmacists: drug disclosures

Requires a pharmacist, on or after 7/1/14, to include a written label on a prescription drug container indicating that the drug may impair a person's ability to operate a vehicle or vessel, if in the pharmacist's professional judgment, he/she determines that the drug may impair a person's ability to operate a vehicle or vessel.
Chapter 304, Statutes of 2013

AB 1176 (Bocanegra-D) Medical residency training program grants

Establishes the Graduate Medical Education (GME) Council and GME Fund and assesses health plans and insurers $5 annually per covered life to fund GME residency training programs.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1288 (V. Manuel Pérez-D) Medical Board of California and Osteopathic Medical Board

Requires the Medical Board of California and the Osteopathic Medical Board to develop a priority review process for applicants for a physician's and surgeon's certificate who demonstrate their intent to practice in a medically underserved area or serve a medically underserved population, as specified.
Chapter 307, Statutes of 2013

AB 1340 (Achadjian-R) State Hospital Employees Act

Establishes an Enhanced Treatment Facility and specified programs within the Department of State Hospitals (DSH), and subject to available funding, requires each state hospital to establish and maintain an enhanced treatment unit (ETU) as part of its facilities. Authorizes an acute psychiatric hospital under the jurisdiction of DSH to be licensed to offer an ETU that meets specified requirements, including that each room be limited to one patient, and authorizes DSH to adopt and implement policies and procedures, as specified. Also requires any case of assault by a patient of a state hospital, as specified, to be immediately referred to the local district attorney. Authorizes a state hospital psychiatrist or psychologist to refer a patient to an ETU for temporary placement and risk assessment upon determining that the patient may pose a substantial risk of inpatient aggression. Requires a forensic needs assessment panel to conduct a placement evaluation to determine whether the patient meets the threshold standard for treatment in an enhanced treatment program.
(In Senate Health Committee)

ACR 1 (Medina-D) University of California: UC Riverside School of Medicine

Declares that the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine serves an important role in training a diverse workforce of physicians and providing healthcare to the underserved communities of the Inland Empire region of California.
Resolution Chapter 54, Statutes of 2013

Medi-Cal

Go to Top    Go to Index

SB 239* (Hernandez-D) Hospitals: quality assurance fees

Enacts the Medi-Cal Hospital Reimbursement Improvement Act of 2013, which imposes a hospital quality assurance fee, as specified, on certain general acute care hospitals from 1/1/14, through 12/30/16, and requires supplemental payments to be made to private hospitals for certain services, direct grants to public hospitals, increased capitation payments to Medi-Cal managed care plans for hospital services, and for children's health coverage and Department of Health Care Services administration. Sunsets the provisions on 1/1/17. Requires Medi-Cal reimbursement for nursing facilities that are a distinct part of a general acute care hospital to be determined without the Medi-Cal rate reduction and rate roll-back required under existing law for dates of services on and after 10/1/13. Establishes Intergovernmental Transfer programs, and takes effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Chapter 657, Statutes of 2013

SB 640* (Lara-D) Medi-Cal: reimbursement: provider payments

Prohibits, to the extent permitted by federal law, Medi-Cal provider payment reductions from applying to skilled nursing facilities or sub-acute care units that are a distinct part of a general acute care hospital, intermediate care or other specified facilities serving developmentally disabled individuals, or specified Medi-Cal provider payments for fee-for-service benefits, including payments to pharmacies, for dates of service on or after 6/1/11. Prohibits this payment reduction from applying to managed health care plans for dates of service after the effective date of the bill.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 645* (Nielsen-R) Diagnosis-related group methodology

Prohibits the Medi-Cal hospital payment methodology based on diagnosis-related groups from being implemented until the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) develops a methodology for hospitals to review base payment rates for health care services, requires the diagnosis-related groups methodology to include an appeals process for changes to a hospitals base rate, requires DHCS to collect codes and establish a database, and requires DHCS to develop an education and training program for hospital billing staff.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 646* (Nielsen-R) Medi-Cal: reimbursement: distinct part nursing facilities

Eliminates reductions in Medi-Cal payments to distinct part nursing facilities adopted as part of the 2011-12 Budget.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 1X1 (Hernandez-D) Medi-Cal: eligibility

Establishes the existing Medi-Cal benefit package as the benefit package for the expansion population eligible under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and expands the Medi-Cal benefit package for the existing population and newly eligible under the ACA to include mental health services and substance use disorder services required under the essential health benefit legislation adopted in 2012. Implements a number of the Medicaid ACA-related provisions to simplify the eligibility, enrollment and renewal processes for Medi-Cal.
Chapter 4, Statutes of 2013, First Extraordinary Session
AB 1X1 is the companion bill to this measure.

SB 3X1 (Hernandez-D) Health care coverage: bridge plan

Requires the California Health Benefit Exchange (Covered California), by means of selective contracting, to make a bridge plan product available to specified eligible individuals, as a qualified health plan. Exempts the bridge plan product from certain requirements that apply to qualified health plans. Requires the Department of Health Care Services to include provisions relating to bridge plan products in its contracts with Medi-Cal managed care plans. Requires Covered California to evaluate three years of data from the bridge plan products, as specified. Repeals Covered California's authority for enrollment in a bridge plan product on the October 1 that falls five years after the date of federal approval.
Chapter 5, Statutes of 2013, First Extraordinary Session

AB 50 (Pan-D) Health care coverage: Medi-Cal: eligibility

Requires the Department of Health Care Services to adopt regulations implementing the provision that a woman is eligible for full-scope Medi-Cal benefits if her income is less than 100% of the federal poverty level as determined, counted, and valued in accordance with federal law, by 1/1/17, and to provide semiannual status reports to the Legislature until that time.
Vetoed

AB 209 (Pan-D) Managed care: quality, accessibility, and utilization

Requires the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to develop and implement a plan that includes specified components to monitor, evaluate, and improve the quality, accessibility, and utilization of health care and dental services provided through Medi-Cal managed care. Requires DHCS to hold public meetings to report on the plan and to invite public comments. Requires DHCS to appoint an advisory committee for the purpose of making recommendations to improve quality and access in the delivery of Medi-Cal managed care services.
(On Senate Inactive File)

AB 318 (Logue-R) Medi-Cal: teledentistry

Enacts provisions related to the use of teledentistry, as defined, under the Medi-Cal program. Provides that, to the extent that federal financial participation is available, face-to-face contact between a health care provider and a patient is not required under the Medi-Cal program for "teledentistry by store and forward." Provides that dentist participation in services provided at an intermittent clinic, as defined, through the use of telehealth, as defined, is considered a billable encounter under Medi-Cal. Requires, on or before 1/1/17, the Department of Health Care Services to report to the Legislature the number and type of services provided, and the payments made related to the application of teledentistry, as specified.
(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 361 (Mitchell-D) Health homes for Medi-Cal enrollees

Permits the Department of Health Care Services to establish a California Health Home Program to provide health home services to Medi-Cal beneficiaries and Section 1115 waiver demonstration populations with chronic conditions. Implements this bill only if federal financial participation is available and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approve the state plan amendment.
Chapter 642, Statutes of 2013

AB 411 (Pan-D) Medi-Cal: performance measures

Requires that a new contract after 1/1/14, between the Department of Health Care Services and an External Quality Review Organization include a requirement that patient-specific Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set measures, or their External Accountability Set performance measure equivalent, be stratified by geographic region, primary language, race, ethnicity, gender, and, to the extent reliable data are available, by sexual orientation and gender identity, in order to assist with the identification of health care disparities in the care provided to Medi-Cal managed care enrollees based on these factors. Requires the results of the analysis to be publicly reported on the Department's Internet Web site. Conditions implementation on the availability of federal, private, or state General Funds.
Vetoed

AB 471 (Atkins-D) Medi-Cal: Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly

Deletes the current limitation for the Department of Health Care Services to enter into up to 15 contracts for implementation of the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, in so doing, authorizes an unlimited number of contracts.
(In Senate Health Committee)

AB 498 (Chávez-R) Medi-Cal

Requires the Department of Health Care Services to allocate payments for uncompensated care to Non-Designated Public Hospitals from the federally funded Safety Net Care Pool under the state's Medicaid waiver, subject to specified conditions. Requires Non-Designated Public Hospitals or governmental entities with which they are affiliated, to receive funding from the Safety Net Care Pool, minus 50% retained by the state. Requires supplemental reimbursement under an existing Medi-Cal program that provides supplemental federal reimbursement to public distinct part nursing facilities to be subject to a reconciliation process.
Chapter 672, Statutes of 2013

AB 505 (Nazarian-D) Medi-Cal: managed care: language assistance services

Requires the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to require all managed care plans contracting with DHCS to provide Medi-Cal services to provide language assistance services to limited-English-proficient Medi-Cal beneficiaries who are mandatorily enrolled in managed care by requiring interpretation services to be provided in any language on a 24-hour basis at key points of contact, and requiring oral translation services to be provided to the language groups identified by DHCS meeting specified numeric thresholds.
(On Senate Inactive File)

AB 582 (Chesbro-D) Medi-Cal: complex rehabilitation technology

Recast provisions, until 1/1/19, related to the requirement for a medical provider to conduct a physical examination of an individual before prescribing a motorized wheelchair or scooter for a Medi-Cal beneficiary apply to complex rehabilitation technology, as defined, to require that complex rehabilitation technology be recognized as a separate benefit by the Medi-Cal program in both fee-for-service and managed care delivery systems. Requires complex rehabilitation technology be subject to a prior authorization process, as specified, and authorizes the Department of Health Care Services to adopt additional utilization controls, as appropriate, and additional requirements for Medi-Cal coverage, as specified.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 776 (Yamada-D) Medi-Cal

Defines, for purposes of the Long-Term Services and Supports Integration component of the Coordinated Care Initiative, the term "stakeholder" to include, but not be limited to, area agencies on aging and independent living centers for purposes of stakeholder consultation requirements. Adds area agencies on aging and independent living centers to the list of stakeholders the Department of Health Care Services is required to notify and consult with prior to issuing All Plan Letters, plan or provider bulletins or similar instructions without taking regulatory action.
Chapter 298, Statutes of 2013

AB 804 (Lowenthal-D) Medi-Cal: pharmacy providers: invoices

Requires pharmacy invoice information that is submitted to the Department of Health Care Services or a designated vendor for the purpose of establishing average acquisition cost to be confidential and exempt from disclosure under the California Public Records Act.
(In Senate Health Committee)

AB 880* (Gomez-D) Medi-Cal program costs: large employer responsibility

Creates the Employer Responsibility for Medi-Cal Cost of Employees Act of 2013. Among other provisions, requires large employers, employing 500 or more employees, to pay an employer responsibility penalty, if their employees who work more than 12 hours per week and more than 45 days in a calendar year are enrolled in Medi-Cal based on the Modified Adjusted Gross Income eligibility standard. Excludes clients of a regional center who are persons with disabilities from being counted in the calculation of 500 employees.
(On Assembly Inactive File)

AB 900* (Alejo-D) Medi-Cal: reimbursement: distinct part nursing facilities

Eliminates reductions in Medi-Cal payments to distinct part nursing facilities adopted as part of the 2011-12 Budget for services provided on or after 7/1/13.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 1124* (Muratsuchi-D) Medi-Cal: Public Assistance Reporting Information System

Removes the pilot project status from the requirement that the Department of Health Care Services establish a two-year pilot program to utilize the federal Public Assistance Reporting Information System to identify veterans and their dependents or survivors who are enrolled in the Medi-Cal program and assist them in obtaining federal veteran health care benefits and requires the Department to implement this program statewide.
(In Senate Health Committee)

AB 1174 (Bocanegra-D) Dental professionals: teledentistry under Medi-Cal

Expands the scope of practice for registered dental assistants, registered dental assistant in extended functions, and registered dental hygienists to better enable the practice of teledentistry in accordance with the findings of a Health Workforce Pilot Program, and enables reimbursement by Medi-Cal for Virtual Dental Home treatment.
(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 1233* (Chesbro-D) Medi-Cal: Administrative Claiming process

Permits American Indian tribes, tribal organizations, or subgroups of a Native American Indian tribe or tribal organization participating in the Medi-Cal administrative claiming process to claim as a Medi-Cal Administrative Activity, facilitating Medi-Cal applications which includes, but is not limited to, using the California Healthcare Eligibility, Enrollment, and Retention System.
Chapter 306, Statutes of 2013

AB 1263 (John A. Pérez-D) Medi-Cal: CommuniCal

Requires the Department of Health Care Services to establish the Medi-Cal Patient-Centered Communication Program, called CommuniCal, to provide and reimburse for medical interpretation services to Medi-Cal beneficiaries who are limited-English proficient, establishes a certification process and registry of CommuniCal interpreters at the Department and grants CommuniCal interpreters collective bargaining rights with the state.
Vetoed

AB 1310 (Brown-D) Medi-Cal: pediatric subacute care

Revises the eligibility criteria for access to pediatric sub-acute care services in the Medi-Cal program.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 1X1 (John A. Pérez-D) Medi-Cal: eligibility

Enacts statutory changes necessary to implement the coverage expansion, eligibility, simplified enrollment benefits, and retention provisions of the Affordable Care Act related to the Medicaid Program (Medi-Cal in California) and the California Children's Health Insurance Program. Contains the provisions of the Affordable Care Act relating to Medi-Cal benefits.
Chapter 3, Statutes of 2013, First Extraordinary Session
Makes the enactment of this bill contingent upon enactment of SB 1X1 (Hernandez). SB 1X1 is the companion bill to this measure.

Mental Health

Go to Top    Go to Index

SB 364 (Steinberg-D) Mental health

Broadens the types of facilities that can be used for purposes of a 72-hour treatment and evaluation under Welfare and Institutions Code Section 5150 of the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act for individuals with a mental health disorder to include facilities licensed or certified as mental health treatment facilities by the Department of Health Care Services or the Department of Public Health. Permits county mental health directors to develop procedures for the designation and training of professionals who will be designated to perform functions under Section 5150.
Chapter 567, Statutes of 2013

SB 585 (Steinberg-D) Mental health: Mental Health Services Fund

Clarifies that state funding sources for county mental health programs, including funds generated under the Mental Health Services Act, can be expended to support mental health treatment services provided under the Assisted Outpatient Treatment Demonstration Project Act of 2002, which is also known as "Laura's Law."
Chapter 288, Statutes of 2013

SB 664 (Yee-D) Mental health: Laura's Law

Deletes the requirement under the Assisted Outpatient Treatment Demonstration Project Act of 2002, which is also known as "Laura's Law," that county Boards of Supervisors must pass a resolution authorizing Laura's Law and make a finding that no voluntary mental health programs may be reduced as a result of the Laura's Law's implementation. Allows counties to place a cap on the number of persons to whom it provides services under Laura's Law.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SCR 28 (Block-D) California Mental Health No Stigma Week

Declares 5/6/13 to 5/12/13, and the first full week of May of every year thereafter, commencing with a Monday, as California Mental Health No Stigma Week.
Resolution Chapter 38, Statutes of 2013

SCR 71 (Torres-D) Suicide Prevention Week in California

Proclaims the week of 9/8/13 through 9/14/13 as Suicide Prevention Week in California.
Resolution Chapter 131, Statutes of 2013

AB 174 (Bonta-D) Public school health centers

Requires the Department of Public Health to establish a pilot program in Alameda County, to the extent that funding is made available, to provide grants to eligible applicants for activities and services that directly address the mental health and related needs of students impacted by trauma.
Vetoed

AB 602 (Yamada-D) Mentally/developmentally disabled persons: reporting abuse

Requires the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to, by 7/1/15, develop a course on investigations of abuse of residents of state mental hospitals and developmental centers and requires mandated reporters to report specified forms of serious abuse of persons in state mental hospitals and developmental centers to both local law enforcement and state investigators immediately, but no later than two hours, a specified.
Chapter 673, Statutes of 2013

AB 1225 (Maienschein-R) State and local fund allocations

Authorizes a county or city and county to reallocate up to 10% of the amount deposited each fiscal year in the local health account, or local social services account, or both, to the local mental health account, as specified.
(In Assembly Local Government Committee)

AB 1296 (Skinner-D) Firearms: mentally disordered persons

Increases the period of time that a person is prohibited from possessing a firearm based on a mental illness, mental disorder, or a serious threat of violence communicated to a licensed psychotherapist.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1367 (Mansoor-R) Mental health: Mental Health Services Fund

Declares that it is consistent with and furthers the intent of the Mental Health Services Act and clarifies that services provided under the Assisted Outpatient Treatment Demonstration Project Act of 2002, which is also known as Laura's Law, may be provided pursuant to the Mental Health Services Act. Provides that outreach under prevention and early intervention programs may include the provision of funds to school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools for the purposes of obtaining and providing training to identify students with mental health issues that may result in a threat to themselves or others.
(In Assembly Health Committee)

HR 15 (Conway-R) National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day

Proclaims 5/9/13 "National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day" and urges our citizens and all agencies and organizations interested in meeting every child's mental health needs to observe exercises that will acquaint the people of California with the benefits of year round programs for children and youth with mental health needs.
Adopted by the Assembly

Public Health

Go to Top    Go to Index

SB 224 (Walters-R) Newborn screening program

Requires the Department of Public Health, until 1/1/19, to expand the screening of newborns in Orange County to include screening for Krabbe disease.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 249 (Leno-D) Public health: health records: confidentiality

Authorizes the sharing of health records involving the diagnosis, care, and treatment of HIV or AIDS related to a beneficiary enrolled in federal Ryan White Act-funded programs who may be eligible for health care under the Affordable Care Act between the Department of Public Health and qualified entities, as specified.
Chapter 445, Statutes of 2013

SB 402 (De León-D) Breastfeeding

Requires all general acute care hospitals and special hospitals that have a perinatal unit by 1/1/25, to adopt the "Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding," as adopted by Baby-Friendly USA, per the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, or an alternate process adopted by a health care service plan that includes evidenced-based policies and practices and targeted outcomes, or the Model Hospital Policy Recommendations, as defined.
Chapter 666, Statutes of 2013

SB 460 (Pavley-D) Prenatal testing program: education

Requires the Department of Public Health (DPH) to include prescribed information regarding environmental health in the California Prenatal Screening patient educational information, and to post that environmental health information on DPH's Internet Web site. Requires DPH to send a notice to all distributors of the patient educational information that informs them of the change to that information, and encourages obstetrician-gynecologists and midwives to discuss environmental health with their patients.
Chapter 667, Statutes of 2013

SB 508 (Hernandez-D) Health disparity report

Requires the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, with support from the California Health and Human Services Agency, to develop a health disparity report based upon the inpatient hospital discharge data set. Requires the report to focus on specified areas of concern, such as cardiovascular disease and breast cancer and also requires the office and agency, by 1/1/16, to complete and deliver the report to the Legislature.
(In Senate Health Committee)

SB 564 (Monning-D) Ski resorts: safety plans: accident reports

Requires ski resorts to prepare an annual safety plan and create a monthly summary report stating the number of deaths at the resort.
(In Assembly Health Committee)

SB 622 (Monning-D) Taxation: sweetened beverage tax

Enacts, on 7/1/14, and until 7/1/24, the Sweetened Beverage Tax Law, which imposes a one-cent per fluid ounce tax on any beverage that adds caloric sweeteners, such as sodas, energy drinks, sweet teas, and sports drinks. Requires funds generated by the Sweetened Beverage Tax to be directed to the newly created Children's Health Promotion Fund and allocated to statewide childhood obesity prevention activities and programs and to provide funds to either the University of California or the California State University to conduct a specified report.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 648 (Corbett-D) Electronic cigarettes: restriction of use and advertising

Extends the restrictions and prohibitions against the smoking of tobacco products to include restrictions or prohibitions against electronic cigarettes in various places, including, but not limited to, places of employment, school campuses, public buildings, day care facilities, retail food facilities, and health facilities.
(In Assembly Governmental Organization Committee)

SB 669 (Huff-R) Emergency medical care: epinephrine auto-injectors

Authorizes a trained pre-hospital emergency medical care person, first responder, or lay rescuer to obtain and use epinephrine auto-injectors to render emergency care to another person, pursuant to specified requirements, and grants them qualified immunity from liability, as specified, unless their conduct in rendering emergency care is grossly negligent.
Chapter 725, Statutes of 2013

SB 747 (DeSaulnier-D) Public Health Impact Report

Establishes the Public Health Epidemic Prevention Act of 2013 and requires the Department of Public Health (DPH) to require the manufacturers of a contributing product, as defined, to create a public health impact report (PHIR) containing specified information, including a list of adverse public health impacts and a mitigation plan for those impacts. Requires the manufacturer to mitigate the fiscal impacts on the state public health system over a reasonable period of time. Authorizes the DPH to enforce the PHIR and authorizes DPH to restrict sales of the product in the state if the PHIR is insufficient or if the manufacturer is not complying with the terms of the PHIR. Authorizes DPH to charge the manufacturer of the product for the reasonable costs of reviewing, approving, and enforcing the PHIR requirements.
(In Senate Health Committee)

SB 768* (De León-D) California Tobacco Tax Act of 2014

Imposes an additional tax on the distribution of cigarettes at the rate of $0.10 for each cigarette distributed; requires a dealer and a wholesaler to file a return with the State Board of Equalization showing the number of cigarettes in its possession or under its control on that date, and imposes a related floor stock tax; requires a licensed cigarette distributor to file a return with the board and pay a cigarette indicia adjustment tax for cigarette tax stamps in its possession or under its control on that date. Provides that the revenues collected from the additional tax be deposited in the California Tobacco Tax Act of 2014 Fund and transferred into the Tobacco Prevention and Education Account, the Tobacco Disease Related Health Care Account, and the Tobacco Law Enforcement Account to be expended for specified purposes.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 21 (Alejo-D) Safe Drinking Water Small Community Emergency Grant Fund

Creates the Safe Drinking Water Small Community Emergency Grant Fund, administered by the Department of Public Health, and used to provide grants for emergency drinking water projects that serve disadvantaged and severely disadvantaged communities.
Chapter 628, Statutes of 2013

AB 30 (Perea-D) Water quality

Removes the sunset date for the Small Community Grant Fund, which provides grants to small communities for the construction of wastewater collection, treatment, or disposal projects.
Chapter 629, Statutes of 2013

AB 118 (Assembly Environmental Safety And Toxic Materials Committee) Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund

Declares certain water systems serving a severely disadvantaged community as eligible for a grant instead of a loan from the Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and allows loans from the Fund to cover the full cost of a project, subject to availability of funds and the applicant's ability to repay.
Chapter 631, Statutes of 2013

AB 119 (Assembly Environmental Safety And Toxic Materials Committee) Water treatment devices

Revises the criteria and procedure for certification of water treatment devices for which a health or safety claim, as defined, is made and requires each manufacturer that offers for sale in California one of those water treatment devices to submit specified information.
Chapter 403, Statutes of 2013

AB 145 (Perea-D) State Water Resources Control Board: drinking water

Transfers, from the Department of Public Health to the State Water Resources Control Board, all of the authority, duties, powers, purposes, responsibilities, and jurisdiction for the purposes of the California Safe Drinking Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 272 (Gomez-D) Rabies: vaccinations

Requires dog owners, after a dog reaches the age of three months, rather than after the age of four months, to have their dog vaccinated against rabies at one-year intervals, as specified.
Chapter 582, Statutes of 2013

AB 357 (Pan-D) California Healthy Child Advisory Task Force

Requires the California Health and Human Services Agency to establish the California Healthy Child Advisory Task Force, an independent, statewide advisory body charged with developing a vision for children's health in the state, among other tasks.
(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 422 (Nazarian-D) School lunch program applications: health care notice

Requires the notification schools are authorized to include with information about the school lunch program, to advise the applicant that he/she may be eligible for reduced-cost comprehensive health care coverage through Covered California and to provide the applicant with the contact information for Covered California, including its Internet Web site and telephone number.
Chapter 440, Statutes of 2013

AB 446 (Mitchell-D) HIV testing

Revises requirements related to information provided at the time an HIV test is administered and after the test results are received; requires informed consent, as specified, either orally or in writing, except when a person independently requests an HIV test from an HIV counseling and testing site, as specified; requires documentation of the person's independent request for the test and exempts clinical laboratories from the informed consent requirements; requires every patient who has blood drawn at a primary care clinic, as defined, who has consented to the test, to be offered an HIV test; and authorizes disclosure of HIV test results by Internet posting or other electronic means if the HIV test subject is anonymously tested.
Chapter 589, Statutes of 2013

AB 506 (Mitchell-D) HIV testing: infants

Authorizes a social worker to provide consent for an HIV test to be performed on an infant who is less than 12 months of age who has been taken into temporary custody or has a petition filed with the court to be adjudged a dependent of the court, under specified conditions. Permits a social worker to authorize, without court order, emergency medical care to an infant who tests positive for HIV, as specified. Requires the social worker, if an infant tests positive for HIV, to provide to the physician and surgeon any available contact information for the biological mother for purposes of reporting the HIV infection to the local health officer.
Chapter 153, Statutes of 2013

AB 626 (Skinner-D) School nutrition

Makes numerous changes to school nutrition standards to conform with the federal Healthy and Hunger Free Kids Act, implements recommendations of a Senate report relative to use of cafeteria funds, and deletes obsolete provisions.
Chapter 706, Statutes of 2013

AB 640* (Hall-D) Occupational safety and health: adult films

Requires an employer engaged in the production of an adult film to adopt prescribed practices and procedures to protect employees from exposure to, and infection by, sexually transmitted diseases, including engineering and work practice controls, an exposure control plan, hepatitis B vaccinations, medical monitoring, and information and training on health and safety.
(In Senate Rules Committee)

AB 678 (Gordon-D) Health care districts: community health needs assessment

Requires health care districts to conduct a community health needs assessment every five years with the involvement of specified stakeholders, and to include progress toward meeting the health needs identified in this assessment in an existing annual report that is required of health care districts.
(In Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 1252 (Assembly Health Committee) Retail food safety

Makes numerous technical, clarifying and conforming changes to the California Retail Food Code.
Chapter 556, Statutes of 2013

Miscellaneous

Go to Top    Go to Index

SB 170 (Wolk-D) Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park

Exempts from the requirements to register as a food processing facility, and to obtain a permit as a retail food facility, a historic water-driven grist mill in order to allow grain to be milled, packaged and sold at the mill without having to meet the requirements of a food processing facility or a retail food facility.
(On Assembly Inactive File)

SB 198 (Lieu-D) Physical Therapy Board of California

Reorganizes, revises, recasts and updates the Physical Therapy Practice Act.
Chapter 389, Statutes of 2013

SB 264 (Pavley-D) Accountable care organizations

Requires an accountable care organization, as defined, operating in the state to have a clinical laboratory testing advisory board, as specified, to recommend testing guidelines that the accountable care organization may adopt.
(In Senate Health Committee)

SB 357* (Correa-D) Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Pilot Program

Extends the 1/1/14 sunset date for the Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Pilot Program to 1/1/15, and requires the final report by the Program oversight committee to be completed by 11/30/13, rather than at the conclusion of the Program.
Chapter 202, Statutes of 2013

SB 430 (Wright-D) Pupil health: vision examination: binocular function

Deletes an existing requirement that upon first enrollment in a California school district of a child at an elementary school, and at least every third year thereafter until the child has completed the eighth grade, the child's vision to be appraised by the school nurse or other authorized person, and replaces it with a requirement that, upon first enrollment in a private or public elementary school, a pupil receive a vision examination from a physician, optometrist, or ophthalmologist and requires that screening to include a test for binocular function, refraction, and eye health.
(In Assembly Health Committee)

SB 439 (Steinberg-D) Medical marijuana

Exempts medical marijuana collectives and cooperatives from criminal liability for possession, cultivation, possession for sale, sale, transport, importation, and furnishing marijuana, as well as, for maintaining a place, or knowingly providing a place for selling or furnishing marijuana. Clarifies Medical Board of California enforcement of medical marijuana recommendations, what constitutes unprofessional conduct, and the bar on the corporate practice of medicine.
(In Assembly Health Committee)

SB 443 (Walters-R) Organized camps

Includes "organized resident camp" and "organized day camp" within the definition of the term "organized camp." Requires an "organized resident camp" and an "organized day camp" to provide written verification that the camp is accredited by the American Camp Association or the Boy Scouts of America or develop a written operating plan and file the plan with the local health officer at least 30 days prior to operation of the camp. Requires submissions of an operating plan to the local public health officer, authorizes the local health officer to assess related fees, and requires camps operated by a city or a county, or a city and county, to comply with applicable provisions. Exempts a public recreation program, as defined, from organized camp regulations. Exempts an organized day camp from certain construction and other standards generally applicable to organized resident camps. Requires the Department of Public Health, in amending the rules and regulations pertaining to organized camps, to obtain the input and advice of prescribed organizations.
(In Assembly Human Services Committee)

SB 488 (Hueso-D) Substandard housing: regulations

Permits the determination of pest infestations and inadequate garbage storage and removal facilities of substandard housing to be made by a local code enforcement officer, as defined, if an agreement for the services of a local health officer does not exist.
Chapter 89, Statutes of 2013

SB 588 (Emmerson-R) Medical records: reproduction fees

Revises provisions of law governing disclosure of medical records to attorneys prior to the filing of any action by (1) increasing the fees that may be charged for copying these records, including distinguishing costs for paper and electronic medical records; (2) deleting the prohibition on medical providers performing the copying when the attorney has employed a professional copier; and (3) only permitting the attorney to employ a professional photocopying service when the records are in paper form.
(In Senate Judiciary Committee)

SB 598 (Hill-D) Biosimilars

Authorizes pharmacists to substitute a "biosimilar" for a biologic under specified circumstances, and defines "biological product," "biosimilar," and "interchangeable" according to their definitions within the federal Public Health Services Act.
Vetoed

SB 718 (Yee-D) Hospitals: workplace violence prevention plan

Prohibits a hospital from retaliating against an employee who seeks assistance from local emergency services or law enforcement when a violent incident occurs. Requires hospitals to document and maintain for five years reports on any violent incidents and to report any violent incidents to the Division of Occupational Safety and Health.
(On Assembly Inactive File)

SCR 8 (DeSaulnier-D) Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month

Proclaims the month of March, each year, as Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Month and encourages all citizens to participate in prevention programs and activities and to pledge to "Spread the Word...One Pill Can Kill."
Resolution Chapter 26, Statutes of 2013

SCR 17 (Anderson-R) Cancer Prevention Week

Designates 4/7/13 through 4/13/13, inclusive, as Cancer Prevention Week, and encourages individuals to participate in the Cancer Prevention Study-3.
Resolution Chapter 29, Statutes of 2013

SCR 18 (Liu-D) Pain Awareness Month and Women In Pain Awareness Day

Recognizes September 2013 as Pain Awareness Month and calls upon all Californians to observe that month by learning how to improve the quality of life of Californians suffering from pain. Also recognizes 9/13/13, as Women in Pain Awareness Day to draw public attention to gender disparity in pain assessment and treatment in the U.S.
Resolution Chapter 61, Statutes of 2013

SCR 21 (Emmerson-R) Multiple System Atrophy Awareness Month

Designates March 2013 as Multiple System Atrophy Awareness Month.
(In Assembly Rules Committee)

SCR 24 (Hernandez-D) National Multicultural Cancer Awareness Week

Designates the week of 4/15/13 to 4/21/13 as "National Multicultural Cancer Awareness Week," and encourages the promotion of policies and programs that seek to reduce cancer disparities and improve cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and follow-up care for all Californians.
Resolution Chapter 96, Statutes of 2013

SCR 31 (Hernandez-D) California Osteopathic Medicine Week

Annually proclaims, commencing April 2013, the third week of April as California Osteopathic Medicine Week.
(In Assembly Rules Committee)

SCR 33 (Gaines-R) Prostate Cancer Awareness Month

Designates September 2013 as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in California.
Resolution Chapter 67, Statutes of 2013

SCR 37 (Beall-D) Arthritis Awareness Month

Proclaims the month of May 2013 as Arthritis Awareness Month.
Resolution Chapter 51, Statutes of 2013

SCR 42 (Fuller-R) Valley Fever Awareness Month

Declares August 2013 as Valley Fever Awareness Month.
Resolution Chapter 97, Statutes of 2013

SCR 58 (Beall-D) Restless Legs Syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease

Proclaims 9/23/13 as Restless Legs Syndrome/Willis-Ekbom Disease Awareness Day in California.
Resolution Chapter 93, Statutes of 2013

SCR 63 (Hernandez-D) National Health Center Week

Designates the week of 8/11/13 through 8/17/13 as National Health Center Week.
Resolution Chapter 116, Statutes of 2013

SCR 65 (Fuller-R) Adrenoleukodystrophy Awareness Month

Memorializes the month of November 2013 as Adrenoleukodystrophy Awareness Month.
Resolution Chapter 119, Statutes of 2013

SR 13 (Correa-D) Autism Awareness Month

Designates April 2013 as California Autism Awareness Month.
Adopted by the Senate

AB 58 (Wieckowski-D) Medical experiments: human subjects

Makes permanent an exemption in existing law that permits, until 1/1/14, patients in life-threatening emergencies to receive medical experimental treatment without informed consent if specified conditions are met, and adds specified conditions for the use of medical experimental treatments.
Chapter 547, Statutes of 2013

AB 464 (Daly-D) Vital records

Updates and clarifies the law regarding vital records. Requires the use of a specific form instead of writing "substantially in the form prescribed" by statute when an officer taking the acknowledgement of an instrument endorses or attaches a certificate; allows digitized images, as defined, to be included as part of a request for a certified copy of a birth, death, or marriage record; clarifies that an informational copy of a death certificate issued by the state registrar, local registrar, or county recorder may be used to prove the death of a person for real property transfers in the county which the property is located; and deletes an outdated reference to requests for military service records.
Chapter 78, Statutes of 2013

AB 714 (Wieckowski-D) Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Fund

Appropriates $1 million from the General Fund to the Spinal Cord Injury Research Fund authorized pursuant to the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act of 1999.
Vetoed

AB 809* (Logue-R) Healing arts: telehealth

Requires the health care provider initiating the use of telehealth at the originating site to obtain verbal or written consent from the patient for the use of telehealth, as specified. Requires that health care provider to document the consent in the patient's medical record and to transmit that documentation with the initiation of any telehealth to any distant-site health care provider from whom telehealth is requested or obtained. Requires a distant-site health care provider to either obtain confirmation of the patient's consent from the originating site provider or separately obtain and document consent from the patient about the use of telehealth, as specified.
(In Senate Health Committee)

AB 831 (Bloom-D) Drug overdoses

Requires, until 1/1/16, the Health and Human Services Agency to convene a temporary working group to develop a state plan to reduce the rate of fatal drug overdoses and appropriates $500,000 from the General Fund to the Agency to provide grants to local agencies to implement drug overdose prevention and response programs.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 926 (Bonilla-D) Reproductive health and research

Repeals the prohibition against payments to a woman to encourage her to produce human oocytes, or eggs, for the purposes of medical research.
Vetoed

AB 974 (Hall-D) Patient transfer: notice to contact person or next of kin

Requires a hospital to alert a patient's emergency contact person prior to transferring the patient from one hospital to another for nonmedical reasons, and requires the hospital to document any attempts to contact the emergency contact person in the patient's medical record.
Chapter 711, Statutes of 2013

AB 1008* (Buchanan-D) Alameda County Medical Center hospital authority

Makes legislative finding regarding the agreement between Sutter Health and the Alameda Health System (AHS) to transfer ownership of San Leandro Hospital to AHS, and specifies how employees of a facility acquired by, or merged into, AHS shall be treated with regard to their retirement benefits, and specifies that those employees shall not automatically become members of the Alameda County Employees' Retirement Association.
Chapter 311, Statutes of 2013

AB 1144 (Hall-D) Public Employees' Medical and Hospital Care Act

Requires, for an employee hired on or after 1/1/14, the employer contribution for post-retirement health benefit coverage for an employee of the City of Carson to be based on specified percentages associated with the employee's credited years of service, which would reach 100% when the employee attains 10 years of credited service. Defines credited service as service performed with the City of Carson. Requires that the employer contribution with respect to each employee be mutually agreed upon through collective bargaining, as specified, except for an unrepresented employee, for whom the employer contribution would be established by a city council resolution. Requires that the employer provide any information requested by the Board of Administration of the California Public Employees' Retirement System that it deems necessary to implement these provisions.
Chapter 244, Statutes of 2013

AB 1168 (Pan-D) Safe body art

Makes a number of technical and clarifying changes to existing law governing practitioners engaged in body art in California including the business or performance of tattooing, body piercing, branding and the application of permanent cosmetics. Makes technical changes to the requirements for the performance of ear piercing with a mechanical device.
Chapter 555, Statutes of 2013

AB 1278 (Hueso-D) Integrative cancer treatment

Prohibits a physician and surgeon, including an osteopathic physician and surgeon, from recommending, prescribing, or providing integrative cancer treatment, as defined, to cancer patients unless certain requirements are met. Specifies that a failure of a physician and surgeon to comply with these requirements constitutes unprofessional conduct and cause for discipline by the individual's licensing entity. Requires the Department of Public Health to investigate violations of these provisions and to hold hearings with respect to compliance with these provisions and makes conforming changes to other related provisions.
(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 1297 (John A. Pérez-D) Coroners: organ donation

Authorizes an organ procurement organization, when specified circumstances are present, to notify a coroner, prior to the donor's death, that a donor has made or may make an anatomical gift, and requires a coroner to accept that notification, whenever that notification will facilitate the coroner's ability to conduct his/her duties in a manner and within a period compatible with the preservation of the body or part for the purposes of the gift. Additionally requires the disclosure of medical information if the disclosure is compelled by a coroner upon notification of, or investigation of, imminent deaths that may involve organ or tissue donation.
Chapter 341, Statutes of 2013

AB 1308 (Bonilla-D) Midwifery

Authorizes a midwife to directly obtain supplies and devices, obtain and administer drugs and diagnostic tests, order testing and receive reports that are necessary to his/her practice of midwifery and consistent with his/her scope of practice; expands the disclosures required to be made by a midwife to a prospective client to include the specific procedures that warrant consultation with a physician and surgeon; and makes other correcting and conforming changes.
Chapter 665, Statutes of 2013

AB 1357 (Roger Hernández-D) Emergency departments: diversion of patients

Requires funds, collected by the County of Los Angeles through a voter approved initiative for emergency rooms from properties within the San Gabriel Valley, to remain within that geographic region of the county. Requires the funds to be used for the purposes intended by the voter initiative, within that geographic area, to reduce ambulance diversion. Establishes a task force consisting of the Director of the Emergency Medical Services Authority, the Director of the Department of Public Health, the State Auditor, and a representative of a local hospital task force to be selected by the other members. Requires the task force to study and audit the funds collected from properties in San Gabriel Valley since the passage of the local voter initiative to gain an understanding as to how the monies have been allocated and to gauge what improvements, if any, have been made. Requires the task force to report its findings to the Legislature by 1/1/15.
(In Assembly Health Committee)

AB 1382 (Assembly Health Committee) Reporting

Updates obsolete terminology in existing statute used in the reporting of health data information by specified health facilities to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development in order to be consistent with national standards.
Chapter 599, Statutes of 2013

AB 1400 (Assembly Jobs, Economic Development And The Economy Committee) Export documents: expiration

Makes changes in the state's administration of the Export Document Program to address an existing backlog and streamline the process in the future.
Chapter 539, Statutes of 2013

ACA 5 (Grove-R) Abortion: parental notification

Establishes the Parental Notification, Child and Teen Safety, Stop Predators Act, and prohibits a physician and surgeon from performing an abortion on an unemancipated minor, as defined, unless the physician and surgeon or his/her agent has delivered written notice to the parent of the unemancipated minor, or until a waiver of that notice has been received from the parent or issued by a court pursuant to a prescribed process. Requires the physician and surgeon performing an abortion on an unemancipated minor to report specified information to the Department of Public Health and requires the Department to compile an annual statistical report with that information. Imposes civil and criminal liability for violation of these provisions, as specified.
(In Assembly Health Committee)

ACR 4 (Buchanan-D) American Heart Month and Wear Red Day

Recognizes February 2013 as American Heart Month and 2/1/13, as Wear Red Day in California in order to raise awareness of the importance of the ongoing fight against heart disease and stroke; and urges all Californians to show support for women and the fight against heart disease by wearing the color red.
Resolution Chapter 3, Statutes of 2013

ACR 21 (Salas-D) West Nile Virus and Mosquito and Vector Control Awareness

Declares the week of 4/21/13 through 4/27/13 as West Nile Virus and Mosquito and Vector Control Awareness Week.
Resolution Chapter 17, Statutes of 2013

ACR 22 (Dickinson-D) Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week

Declares the week of 3/11/13 through 3/15/13 as Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week.
Resolution Chapter 12, Statutes of 2013

ACR 26 (Wilk-R) Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

Designates March 2013 as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
Resolution Chapter 16, Statutes of 2013

ACR 38 (Cooley-D) American Red Cross Month

Recognizes the month of March 2013 as American Red Cross Month in California.
(In Assembly Rules Committee)

ACR 39 (Perea-D) American Cancer Society Day

Designates 5/22/13, as Fight Against Cancer Day and recognizes the American Cancer Society's 100 years of fighting cancer.
Resolution Chapter 45, Statutes of 2013

ACR 46 (Achadjian-R) Viral Hepatitis Awareness Day

Proclaims 5/19/13, as Viral Hepatitis Awareness Day in California.
Resolution Chapter 46, Statutes of 2013

ACR 47 (Skinner-D) Commotio Cordis Awareness Week

Declares the week of 6/1/13 to 6/7/13 as Commotio Cordis Awareness Week and encourages all Californians, particularly young athletes, their families, coaches, school and youth sports league officials, and medical personnel, to learn about the risks of, and treatments for, commotio cordis.
Resolution Chapter 50, Statutes of 2013

ACR 54 (Jones-Sawyer-D) American Stroke Month 2013

Declares May 2013 as American Stroke Month in California and urges all Californians to familiarize themselves with the risk factors associated with stroke.
Resolution Chapter 53, Statutes of 2013

ACR 82 (Pan-D) Food allergy awareness

Declares September as Food Allergy Awareness Month and encourages all Californians to make themselves and their families aware of the risk of food allergies and preventative measures, and to educate themselves regarding emergency responses.
(In Senate Rules Committee)

AJR 28 (Brown-D) Sickle Cell Anemia Awareness Month

Recognizes the month of September 2013, and each September thereafter, as Sickle Cell Anemia Awareness Month in California, and urges the U.S. Congress to support the President's continuation of funding for sickle cell anemia centers and research.
Resolution Chapter 113, Statutes of 2013

HR 7 (Levine-D) Rare Disease Day

Proclaims 2/28/13, as Rare Disease Day in California.
Adopted by the Assembly

HR 16 (Campos-D) Lupus Awareness Month

Proclaims May 2013 as Lupus Awareness Month.
Adopted by the Assembly

Index (in Measure Order)

Go to Top
Note: * Denotes Urgency or Tax Levy Legislation.