(1) Under existing law, a person sentenced to imprisonment in a state prison or in a county jail for a felony offense, as specified, may, during that period of confinement, be deprived of only those rights as is reasonably related to legitimate penological interests. Existing law enumerates certain civil rights of these prisoners, including the right to purchase, receive, and read newspapers, periodicals, and books accepted for distribution by the United States Post Office. This bill would include the right to personal visits by an intimate partner or a family member, as those terms are defined, as a civil right, as specified. The bill would provide that these civil rights may not be infringed, except as necessary and only if narrowly tailored to further a compelling security interest of the government, and would provide that any governmental action related to these civil rights may be reviewed in court for legal or factual error. (2) Existing law authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to prescribe and amend rules and regulations for the administration of prisons and requires regulations, which are adopted by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and may impact the visitation of inmates. Existing law requires these regulations to recognize and consider the value of inmate visitation as a means of increasing safety in prisons, maintaining family and community connections, and preparing inmates for successful release and rehabilitation. Existing regulations create the framework for establishing a visitation process in prisons that is conducted in as accommodating a manner as possible, subject to the need to maintain order, the safety of persons, the security of institutions and facilities, and required prison activities and operations. This bill would additionally require those regulations pertaining to inmate visits to recognize and consider the right to personal visits as a civil right. The bill would prohibit the department from denying or restricting in-person contact visits except as specified, including as a disciplinary sanction against the incarcerated person who has committed a listed offense during a personal visit. The bill would require the department to inform both the visitor and the incarcerated person of the specific reason for any denial of a visit, as specified. The bill would require the department to provide at least 3 days of in-person visiting per week, with a minimum of 7 visiting hours per day.
(1) Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care, and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law generally authorizes a health care service plan or health insurer to use prior authorization and other utilization review functions, under which a licensed physician or a licensed health care professional who is competent to evaluate specific clinical issues may approve, modify, delay, or deny requests for health care services based on medical necessity. This bill would prohibit a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy issued, amended, delivered, or renewed on or after January 1, 2024, from requiring prior authorization or other utilization review for any clinically indicated treatment for endometriosis, as determined by the treating physician and consistent with nationally recognized evidence-based clinical guidelines. Because a willful violation of these provisions by a health care service plan would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law sets forth a schedule of benefits under the Medi-Cal program. This bill would add any clinically indicated treatment for endometriosis, as determined by the treating physician and consistent with nationally recognized evidence-based clinical guidelines, as a covered benefit under Medi-Cal without prior authorization or other utilization review. (3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law, the Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA) , an initiative measure, authorizes a person who obtains a state license under AUMA to engage in commercial adult-use cannabis activity pursuant to that license and applicable local ordinances. The Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA) , among other things, consolidates the licensure and regulation of commercial medicinal and adult-use cannabis activities. MAUCRSA establishes the Department of Cannabis Control within the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency to administer the act. Existing law requires the department to establish a track and trace program for reporting the movement of cannabis and cannabis products throughout the distribution chain and requires the program to capture certain information. Existing law requires the program to include an electronic seed to sale software tracking system with data points for the different stages of commercial activity. Existing law requires the department, upon the request of a state or local law enforcement agency, to allow access to or provide information contained within the database to assist law enforcement in their duties and responsibilities pursuant to MAUCRSA. This bill would additionally require the track and trace program, if the sale of cannabis is conducted by delivery, to capture the ZIP Code of the delivery address. The bill would require the department to allow access to or to provide information contained within the electronic database to specified local agencies, including the California Cannabis Authority, created pursuant to a specified joint powers agreement, for the purpose of assisting those agencies in their duties and responsibilities as they relate to local taxation and regulation of cannabis and cannabis products. The bill would also require the department to provide full read access to the electronic database to the California Cannabis Authority or a local public agency composed of multiple public entities with certain demonstrated capabilities for the purpose of assisting that local agency in its duties regarding local taxation and regulation of cannabis and cannabis products as well as for locally relevant research on the local regulation, taxation, and operation of commercial cannabis. The bill would require any software, database, or other information technology system utilized by the department for the issuance, maintenance, or revocation of state licenses to support interoperability with the software of the local agencies allowed to or provided information contained within the electronic database pursuant to the bill's provisions. The bill would require those local agencies to maintain specified data privacy policies. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the California Cannabis Authority.
Read. Adopted. (Ayes 38. Noes 0. Page 2192.)
This measure would propose to incorporate recognition of Native Americans in the order of business of Assembly and Senate Floor Sessions to acknowledge Native Americans as the original custodians of California and commend California Indian nations for their outstanding historical and present contributions to this great state. The measure would also urge other public bodies in California to expand recognition for Native Americans during official government activities.
Read. Adopted. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2174.)
Read. Adopted. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2181.)
Read. Adopted. (Ayes 73. Noes 0. Page 2799.).
Read. Adopted. (Page 2791.).
Read. Adopted. (Ayes 73. Noes 0. Page 2799.).
Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in the state. The California State University comprises 23 institutions of higher education located throughout the state. This bill would require the trustees to comply with various requirements on mental health counseling at CSU, including having one full-time equivalent California-licensed mental health counselor per 1,500 students enrolled at each CSU campus. The bill, contingent upon appropriation by the Legislature, would establish the CSU Mental Health Professionals Act to provide one-time grants to certain CSU students to become mental health counselors in the state. The bill, contingent upon appropriation by the Legislature, would establish the Mental Health Professionals Fund as the depository of moneys appropriated or otherwise received for the program, and upon appropriation by the Legislature, would require the Department of Health Care Access and Information to disburse moneys in the fund under the act. The bill would define "mental health counselor" for purposes of these provisions.
This measure would express the support of the Legislature for the 23 Asilomar AI Principles as guiding values for the development of artificial intelligence and of related public policy.
