Insurance

• Disability
• Workers' Compensation
• Miscellaneous

Note: * Denotes Urgency or Tax Levy Legislation.

Disability

Go to Index

SB 146* (Lara-D) Medical treatment: billing

Prohibits a copy of a prescription from being required with a request for payment of pharmacy services under the workers' compensation system, and gives any entity until 3/31/14 to resubmit pharmacy bills for payment, originally submitted on or after 1/1/13, where payment was denied because the bill did not include a copy of the prescription.
Chapter 129, Statutes of 2013

SB 761 (DeSaulnier-D) Family temporary disability insurance

Provides that it is unlawful for an employer or agent of an employer to discharge or discriminate against an individual because they have applied for, used, or indicated intent to apply for or use, family temporary disability insurance benefits.
(On Senate Inactive File)

AB 402 (Ammiano-D) Disability income insurance: mental illness

Requires every policy, that is of a short-term limited duration of two years or less, of disability income insurance that is issued, amended, or reviewed on or after 7/1/14, and that provides disability income benefits, to provide coverage for disability caused by severe mental illnesses.
Chapter 550, Statutes of 2013

Workers' Compensation

Go to Top    Go to Index

SB 36 (Hueso-D) Internet Web site: workers' compensation data

Requires the Department of Insurance to include on its Internet Web site a dedicated Internet page that includes workers' compensation data, statistics, and reports covering insurers, using data already collected by the Department of Insurance or the Department of Industrial Relations. Authorizes the Department of Insurance to provide on its Internet Web site, direct links to relevant information on other Internet Web sites.
Vetoed

SB 146* (Lara-D) Workers' compensation: medical treatment: billing

Provides that a copy of a prescription for pharmaceutical services is not necessary unless a provider has entered into a written agreement that requires a copy of the prescription for a pharmacy service. Allows an employer, pharmacy benefits manager, insurer, or third-party claims administrator to request a copy of the prescription during a review of any records of prescription drugs dispensed by a pharmacy, and provides that any entity submitting a pharmacy bill for payment and denied payment for not including a copy of the prescription from the treating physician have until 3/31/14 to resubmit those bills for payment.
Chapter 129, Statutes of 2013

SB 258 (Lieu-D) Workers' compensation

Requires that all members of the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board be experienced attorneys admitted to practice in the State of California. Clarifies that recently enacted limitations on the assignment of liens apply only to assignments occurring on or after 1/1/13, and makes technical clarifications to the 2012 workers' compensation reform statutes.
Vetoed

SB 375 (Senate Labor And Industrial Relations Committee) Workers' compensation

Corrects erroneous cross-references and makes technical, clarifying, and conforming changes with respect to the certification of medical examination interpreters, resolution processes for medical and billing disputes, and the allowance of liens against sums to be paid as compensation.
Chapter 287, Statutes of 2013

SB 487 (Calderon-D) Workers' compensation insurance

Distinguishes between individual self-insured employers and groups of self-insured employers by creating a separate Self-Insured Group Security Fund for group self-insured employers that is similar to the existing Self-Insurers' Security Fund structure, which would continue, but only for individual self-insured employers. Authorizes a similar alternative security system to be established, whereby group self-insured employers may collectively secure their aggregate liabilities and makes conforming changes.
(In Senate Insurance Committee)

SB 527 (Block-D) Workers' compensation: public employees: leaves of absence

Extends a leave of absence entitlement to lifeguards employed year round on a regular full-time basis by the city of San Diego, and makes legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for these employees.
Chapter 66, Statutes of 2012

AB 454 (Dickinson-D) Workers' compensation benefits: prevailing wages

Requires temporary or permanent disability benefits for average weekly earnings on a public works project to be taken at the wages actually paid or the prevailing wage that was applicable to the work performed by the employee, whichever amount is greater.
Vetoed

AB 638 (Alejo-D) Workers' compensation: proceedings: expedited hearings

Allows an employee of an illegally uninsured employer to use an accelerated workers' compensation court timeline for disputed issues of employment and injury, as is the process for employees with issues of employment or injury who are represented by an attorney.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1010 (Hueso-D) Financial statements: workers' compensation insurers

Requires that annual and quarterly financial statements filed with the Insurance Commissioner by workers' compensation insurers be published on the Department of Insurance's Internet Web site.
(In Assembly Insurance Committee)

AB 1138 (Chau-D) Workers' compensation: records

Requires an employer, commencing 1/1/14, and 1/1/15, to submit to its workers' compensation insurer, specified reports that it is required to submit to the Employment Development Department, and the insurer is required to include the names of all covered employees in the workers' compensation insurance policy. Requires employers to make a list of all employees covered by its workers' compensation policy, which includes specified identifying information for each covered employee, to be available in written and electronic form, upon request, to specified governmental entities and the workers' compensation insurer.
(In Assembly Insurance Committee)

AB 1309 (Perea-D) Workers' compensation: professional athletes

Limits access to the California workers' compensation system for professional athletes employed by out-of-state teams.
Chapter 653, Statutes of 2013

AB 1373 (John A. Pérez-D) Workers' compensation: firefighters and peace officers

Provides that certain proceedings related to the collection of death benefits of firefighters and peace officers may be commenced within, but no later than, 480 weeks from the date of injury, and in no event more than one year after the date of death if all of the specified criteria are met, including, but not limited to, that the employee's death is the result of a specified injury.
Vetoed

AB 1376* (Roger Hernández-D) Workers' compensation: medical treatment: interpreters

Creates a qualification process for interpreters in administrative hearings, as well as delineates the responsibility for the maintenance of the list of certified interpreters that can be used in administrative hearings, and extends the period of time a qualified interpreter must be certified for medical treatment interpretive services to 3/1/14.
Chapter 793, Statutes of 2013

AB 1394 (Assembly Insurance Committee) State Compensation Insurance Fund: executive appointments

Authorizes the Board of Directors of the State Compensation Insurance Fund to appoint a chief medical officer, a chief actuarial officer, a chief claims operations officer, and a chief of internal affairs, and make those positions subject to the Milton Marks Postgovernment Employment Restrictions Act of 1990.
Chapter 309, Statutes of 2013

Miscellaneous

Go to Top    Go to Index

SB 214 (Calderon-D) Long-term care: financing

Authorizes the owner of a life insurance policy, with a face value of more than $10,000, to enter into a life settlement contract where the proceeds of the contract are to be placed in a state or federally insured account, in an irrevocable trust, to be paid directly to a health care provider for qualified long-term care services for the recipient of those services.
(In Senate Insurance Committee)

SB 281 (Calderon-D) Life insurance: accelerated death benefits

Deletes references in current law of the term "special benefit" and replaces it with the defined term "accelerated death benefit." Generally revises the phrase "provision or supplemental contract," and replaces it with the term "supplemental benefit," as defined. Revises and recasts the required language of the "provision or supplemental contract," as prescribed.
Chapter 345, Statutes of 2013

SB 476 (Steinberg-D) Insurance: special assessments

Eliminates the sunset dates for the Auto Consumer Assessment, Organized Automobile Fraud Activity Interdiction Assessment, and the Life and Annuity Consumer Protection Fund, and lowers the maximum assessment of the Auto Consumer Assessment. Expands application of the Life and Annuity Consumer Protection Fund to include life insurance and annuity products valued at less than $15,000.
Chapter 347, Statutes of 2013

AB 152* (Yamada-D) Unemployment: Self-Employment Assistance Program

Establishes the Self-Employment Assistance Program, to be administered by the Director of Employment Development. Provides for a weekly allowance for participants equal to regular unemployment benefits, subject to various limits, and would impose various eligibility requirements upon participants, and waives specified requirements relating to job search and self-employment.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 584 (Perea-D) Insurance: risk and solvency assessment

Requires insurers with annual premiums greater than $500 million and insurance groups with annual premiums greater than $1 billion to maintain a comprehensive risk management framework to identify, assess, and manage material and relevant risks. Requires a qualifying insurer or insurance group to file an Own Risk and Solvency Assessment report annually with the Insurance Commissioner detailing the risks identified and the sufficiency of its capital to support the risks.
Chapter 238, Statutes of 2013

AB 615 (Bocanegra-D) Unemployment insurance: classified employees

Deletes a prohibition on the payment of unemployment benefits to specified education employees, other than teachers, researchers, and administrators, between two academic years and makes conforming changes, including deleting the notice of reasonable assurance of employment requirements regarding these employees and eliminating the provisions for payment of unemployment benefits to these employees at specified schools.
(In Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 773 (Hueso-D) Bail agent licenses: qualifications

Authorizes a limited liability company (LLC) to be a licensee subject to the same requirements as corporations. Exempts a corporation or an LLC from the requirements that 100% of the shares of the corporation or membership interest in the LLC be held by licensed bail agents, and all shareholders, officers, and directors of the corporation or members of the LLC be licensed bail agents, if the corporation or LLC is an admitted surety insurer or a subsidiary of an admitted surety insurer.
(In Assembly Insurance Committee)

AB 821 (Yamada-D) Insurance: motor vehicle insurance: cancellation

Makes a willful violation of current law regarding an insurer's obligations, with regard to the cancellation or failure to renew a motor vehicle insurance contract, subject to an administrative penalty, enforceable by the Insurance Commissioner, not to exceed $1,000.
(In Assembly Insurance Committee)

AB 862 (Wieckowski-D) Automobile insurance: underinsured motorist coverage

Authorizes an insurer to offer a separately rated underinsured motorist policy where the maximum liability to the insurer is the underinsured motorist coverage limit. Requires, if an insurer elects to offer this policy to its insureds, the insurer must notify its insureds of this fact at the time it begins offering the policy.
(In Assembly Insurance Committee)

AB 908 (Bonilla-D) Unemployment insurance: use of information

Allows the Employment Development Department to share information with peace officers employed by the Department of Motor Vehicles Investigations Division in order to assist identity theft investigations, counterfeiting, document fraud or consumer fraud.
Chapter 553, Statutes of 2013

AB 1053 (Cooley-D) Nonadmitted insurer: surplus line brokers: disclosure

Changes the definition of industrial insured by increasing the industrial insured's aggregate annual premiums for insurance, for all risks other than workers' compensation and health coverage, to no less than $50,000.
(In Senate Insurance Committee)

AB 1130 (Wilk-R) Insurance: home protection contracts

Provides that certain requirements for a home protection company license do not apply to a foreign applicant, including filing a financial statement certified by the applicant's home state regulatory official as a true and correct copy of the statement filed with that official, and holding a certificate of authority as an insurance company, only if the applicant stipulates that the applicant will provide financial reports in the same manner required of domestic home protection companies.
(In Senate Insurance Committee)

AB 1236 (Hagman-R) Contractors: limited liability companies

Authorizes a contractor licensed as a limited liability company, to obtain statutorily required liability insurance from a surplus line insurer.
Chapter 114, Statutes of 2013

AB 1240 (Jones-R) Mortgages: deed of trust

Eliminates the exclusion of a deed of trust from the definition of "mortgage" for requirements prior to exercising a power of sale under a mortgage or deed of trust.
(In Assembly Judiciary Committee)

AB 1374 (Gray-D) The California Whistleblower Protection Act

Requires a state agency to post a graphical link to the California State Auditor's Internet Web page that contains information on how to file a complaint under the California Whistleblower Protection Act.
(In Assembly Judiciary Committee)

AB 1391 (Assembly Insurance Committee) Insurance: omnibus

This is the Assembly Committee on Insurance omnibus bill. Makes a number of technical, clarifying, and minor modifications to the Insurance Code.
Chapter 321, Statutes of 2013

AB 1392 (Assembly Insurance Committee) Unemployment insurance: work sharing plans

Conforms state law to new federal requirements for the Work Sharing Program.
Chapter 141, Statutes of 2013

AB 1395 (Assembly Insurance Committee) Insurance: surplus line brokers

Deletes a provision in existing law requiring a surplus line broker to file a return showing that his/her return premiums exceeded his/her gross premiums even when no payment is payable by the broker. Provides that if no payment is payable by the broker, the Insurance Commissioner may waive or modify the requirements by issuance of a notice published on the Department of Insurance’s Internet Web site.
(In Senate Insurance Committee)

ACR 79 (Bocanegra-D) Classified school employees

Recognizes the important role that classified school employees play in California's public schools and community colleges, and that they deserve fair and consistent working conditions, including access to unemployment benefits.
(In Assembly Insurance Committee)

Index (in Measure Order)

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