(1) Existing law, the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) , an initiative measure enacted by the voters as Proposition 63 at the November 2, 2004, statewide general election, established the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission to oversee the implementation of the MHSA. Existing law specifies the composition of the 16-member commission, including the Attorney General or their designee, the Superintendent of Public Instruction or their designee, specified members of the Legislature, and 12 members appointed by the Governor, as prescribed. Existing law, the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) , an initiative measure enacted by the voters as Proposition 1 at the March 5, 2024, statewide primary election, recast the MHSA by, among other things, renaming the commission to the Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission and changing its composition and duties. This bill would make technical changes to reflect the correct name of the commission. (2) Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health facilities by the State Department of Public Health. Existing law requires a health facility to develop, implement, and comply with a patient safety plan to improve the health and safety of patients and to reduce preventable patient safety events. Existing law requires a patient safety plan to contain specified elements, including, but not limited to, a reporting system for patient safety events that allows anyone involved to make a report of a patient safety event to the health facility and a process for a team of facility staff to conduct analyses related to root causes of patient safety events. Existing law, commencing January 1, 2026, and biannually thereafter, requires a health facility to submit a patient safety plan to the department. A violation of these provisions is a crime. This bill would instead require a health facility to submit a patient safety plan to the department biennially. The bill would also make technical corrections to those provisions. (3) Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health and sets forth its powers and duties to license and administer health facilities, as defined, including skilled nursing facilities and intermediate care facilities. Existing law requires the department to prepare and maintain a list of approved training programs for nurse assistant certification, which are required to include a precertification training program consisting of at least 60 classroom hours of training on basic nursing skills, patient safety and rights, the social and psychological problems of patients, and elder abuse recognition and reporting and at least 100 hours of supervised and on-the-job training clinical practice. Existing law requires at least 2 hours of the 60 hours of classroom training and at least 4 hours of the 100 hours of the supervised clinical training to address the special needs of persons with developmental and mental disorders, including intellectual disability, Alzheimer's disease, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, dementia, Parkinson's disease, and mental illness. A violation of these provisions is a crime. This bill would require that at least 2 of the 60 hours of classroom training address the special needs of persons with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. By changing the definition of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (4) Existing law requires a hospital, as defined, to maintain an understandable written policy regarding discount payments for financially qualified patients as well as a written charity care policy, and requires a hospital to negotiate the terms of a discount payment plan with an eligible patient, as specified. Existing law requires each hospital to provide patients with written notice, provided at the time of service, about the availability of the hospital's discount payment and charity care policies, and other additional information. This bill would authorize, with the exception of emergency room visits, a hospital to provide the written notice in either hard copy or, if the patient has previously consented to receive electronic communications, using the patient's preferred electronic notification method. The bill would require the written notice related to an emergency room visit to be provided in hard copy. The bill would require, if the notice is provided electronically, the notice to be sent separately from any other electronic communications and to prominently indicate in the subject line that the notice is related to the hospital's discount and charity care policies. (5) Existing law authorizes the State Department of Public Health to develop and administer a syndromic surveillance program and, subject to an appropriation, to either designate an existing system or to create a new system that would be required, at a minimum, to provide public health practitioners access to an electronic health system to rapidly collect, evaluate, share, and store syndromic surveillance data, as specified. This bill would make technical corrections to related provisions. (6) Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires a large group disability insurance policy and a small group disability insurance policy, except as specified, issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility and fertility services, as specified. This bill would instead require a large group health insurance policy and a small group health insurance policy, except as specified, to offer the above-described services. (7) Existing law requires an insurer to provide an insured with an annual written or electronic notice regarding the benefits of a behavioral health and wellness screening, as defined, for children and adolescents 8 to 18 years of age. This bill would make technical changes to those provisions. (8) 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 requires, commencing January 1, 2022, that Community-Based Adult Services (CBAS) continue to be available as a capitated benefit for a qualified Medi-Cal beneficiary under a comprehensive risk contract with an applicable Medi-Cal managed care plan. This bill would make a technical correction to this provision. (9) Existing law, subject to any necessary federal approvals, sets forth various Medi-Cal provisions relating to complex rehabilitation technology (CRT) , which is a form of durable medical equipment, including, but not limited to, complex rehabilitation manual and power wheelchairs. Existing law requires a CRT provider to comply with certain standards, including requiring a qualified rehabilitation technology professional to be physically present for the evaluation. This bill would make a technical correction to this provision. (10) Existing law, the Sherman Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Law, provides for the regulation of various subjects relating to the manufacturing, processing, labeling, advertising, and sale of food, drugs, and cosmetics under the administration and enforcement of the State Department of Public Health. Existing law requires a manufacturer of baby food, as defined, for sale or distribution in this state to test a representative sample of each production aggregate of the manufacturer's final baby food product, at a proficient laboratory meeting certain criteria, for toxic elements, as specified. Existing law defines baby food as food packaged in jars, pouches, tubs, and boxes represented or purported to be specifically for babies and young children less than 2 years of age and excludes infant formula. This bill would clarify that baby food does not include dietary supplements, as defined. (11) 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 California Community Care Facilities Act, provides for the licensing and regulation of community care facilities by the State Department of Social Services, including adult day programs and residential facilities. A violation of provisions relating to these facilities is a misdemeanor. This bill would authorize a licensed facility or licensee, as defined, upon receipt of a request from a client, or the authorized representative of a client, who has been diagnosed with seizures, a seizure disorder, or epilepsy and who has been prescribed intranasal emergency antiseizure medication, to allow an administrator or authorized volunteer, as defined, to administer intranasal emergency antiseizure medication to the client during a seizure emergency. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2028, to establish minimum standards for this training, as specified. The bill would prohibit intranasal emergency antiseizure medication from being administered to a client unless the licensee has a seizure action plan for the client that contains specified information, including, among other things, a signed written authorization verifying that a seizure experienced by the client may be responded to at the licensee by a nonmedical professional, including through the administration of emergency antiseizure medication, as specified. The bill would require licensees to maintain with the client's seizure action plan a description of how the licensee will coordinate care for a client in the absence of an administrator or authorized volunteer and what actions will be taken to ensure the continued safety of the client. The bill would require licensed facilities to provide a specified notice to all administrators and authorized volunteers that, among other things, informs them of their right to rescind an offer to volunteer at any time, as specified, and explains the liability protections and indemnification requirements described below. The bill would require any licensee that authorizes administrators or authorized volunteers to ensure that each administrator or authorized volunteer will be provided defense and indemnification for any and all civil liability, as specified. The bill would prohibit an administrator or authorized volunteer who administers intranasal emergency antiseizure medication, any person who provides training to an administrator or authorized volunteer, or any person who otherwise complies with the requirements of the above-described provisions, in good faith and not for compensation, from being subject to professional review, civil liability, or criminal prosecution for their actions or omissions, or the actions or omissions of a volunteer, as specified. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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 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 various provisions for Medi-Cal coverage of community health worker services, enhanced care management, and community supports, subject to any necessary federal approvals. Under existing law, these benefits are designed to, respectively, provide a link between health and social services and the community; address the clinical and nonclinical needs on a whole-person-care basis for certain target populations of Medi-Cal beneficiaries, including individuals experiencing homelessness; and provide housing transition navigation services, among other supports. This bill would set forth provisions regarding field medicine, as defined, under the Medi-Cal program for persons experiencing homelessness, as defined. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature that the field medicine-related provisions coexist with, and not duplicate, other Medi-Cal provisions, including, but not limited to, those regarding community health worker services, enhanced care management, and community supports. The bill would authorize a Medi-Cal managed care plan to elect to offer Medi-Cal covered services through a field medicine provider, as defined. Under the bill, a managed care plan that elects to do so would be required to allow a Medi-Cal member who is experiencing homelessness to receive those services directly from an in-network, contracted field medicine provider, regardless of the member's in-network assignment, as specified. The bill would also require the managed care plan to allow an in-network, contracted field medicine provider enrolled in Medi-Cal to directly refer a member who is experiencing homelessness for covered services within the appropriate network, as specified. The bill would require a managed care plan to have appropriate mechanisms, procedures, or protocols to ensure timely communication between the in-network, contracted field medicine provider, the Medi-Cal member's plan or independent practice association, and the member's primary care provider for purposes of care coordination and to prevent the duplication of services. The bill would require a managed care plan to provide a method for a Medi-Cal member to inform the managed care plan online, in person, or via telephone that the member is experiencing homelessness. The bill would require the department to inform a managed care plan if a member has indicated that they are experiencing homelessness based on information furnished on the Medi-Cal application. In the case of a Medi-Cal beneficiary who is experiencing homelessness and who receives services within the fee-for-service delivery system, the bill would require the department to reimburse a field medicine provider enrolled in Medi-Cal for providing Medi-Cal covered services. The bill would condition implementation of the above-described provisions on receipt of any necessary federal approvals and the availability of federal financial participation. The bill would require, on or before January 1, 2027, that the standard application form for insurance affordability programs include an optional question for an applicant to identify whether they are experiencing homelessness. The bill would make conforming changes to related provisions under existing law regarding the application process. The bill would also remove obsolete references within related provisions. To the extent that the bill would create new duties for counties with regard to data sharing under Medi-Cal, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law provides for the county-administered In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, under which qualified aged, blind, and disabled persons are provided with supportive services in order to permit them to remain in their own homes. Existing law requires a county to use county-only funds to fund both the county share and the state share, except as specified, when any increase in provider wages or benefits is locally negotiated, mediated, or imposed by a county, public authority, or nonprofit consortium, or any increase in provider wages or benefits is adopted by ordinance. This bill would make a technical, nonsubstantive change to that provision.
Existing law, known as Laura's Law, requires a county or group of counties to provide assisted outpatient treatment as part of mental health services, unless a county or group of counties opts out by a resolution passed by the governing body, as specified. Existing law authorizes participating counties to pay for the services using moneys distributed to the counties from various continuously appropriated funds, including the Behavioral Health Services Fund when included in a county plan, as specified. For participating counties, existing law authorizes a court to order a person who is the subject of a certain petition to obtain assisted outpatient treatment if the court finds, by clear and convincing evidence, that various conditions are met, including, among others, that the person is experiencing a mental illness and that the person has a history of lack of compliance with treatment for their mental illness, as specified. Existing law sets forth certain rights of the person relating to the hearing and imposes conditions on an extension to an initial treatment order. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.
The California Constitution authorizes local governments to make and enforce all police and sanitary ordinances and regulations within its limits that are not in conflict with general laws. Existing law requires the board of supervisors of a county and the governing body of a city to take measures necessary to preserve and protect the public health in its jurisdiction. This bill would authorize a local government to designate one or more existing employees specializing in counseling or mental health services as a law enforcement mental health liaison to facilitate mental health support for peace officers who serve the local jurisdiction. The bill would make related findings and declarations.
Existing law declares that it is the policy of the state that each county and city shall permit and encourage the development of sufficient numbers and types of alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facilities as are commensurate with local need. Existing law requires an alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facility that serves 6 or fewer persons to be considered a residential use of property for the purposes of local regulation, regardless of whether or not unrelated persons are living together. This bill would exempt an alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facility from being considered a residential use of property for the purposes of local regulation if multiple single-family dwellings are being used as a licensed or unlicensed alcohol or other drug recovery or treatment facility, they share an owner, a director, programs, or amenities with another facility, and any of the dwellings are within 300 feet of that facility, or if a single-family dwelling being used as an alcohol or other drug recovery or treatment facility shares an owner, a director, programs, or amenities with another facility that is commercially owned, operated, and licensed that is located anywhere in the state.
Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health, subject to an appropriation, to award naloxone grant funding to local health departments, local government agencies, or others in order to reduce the rate of fatal overdose from opioids. This bill, subject to an appropriation, would require the department to establish and administer a statewide program to distribute personal opioid drug deactivation and disposal systems to individuals to encourage safe and environmentally responsible disposal practices and mitigate risks associated with unused or expired prescription and illicit opioids, as specified.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which health care services are provided to low-income individuals pursuant to a schedule of benefits. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Under existing law, pharmacist services are a benefit under the Medi-Cal program, subject to federal approval, and the rate of reimbursement for pharmacist services is 85% of the fee schedule for physician services, except for medication therapy management (MTM) pharmacist services. Existing law requires the department to implement an MTM reimbursement methodology relating to the dispensing of qualified specialty drugs by an eligible contracting pharmacy, which would be intended to supplement Medi-Cal payments to eligible pharmacies for MTM pharmacist services provided in conjunction with certain specialty drug therapy categories. This bill would additionally require the rate of reimbursement for advanced practice pharmacist services to be the same as the fee schedule for physician services, including MTM pharmacist services. The bill would require the department to implement an MTM reimbursement methodology relating to the use of drugs to ensure that Medi-Cal payments are only made to eligible advanced practice pharmacists or pharmacies for MTM pharmacist services provided in conjunction with certain specialty drug therapy categories. 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 requires a health care service plan or disability insurer that offers coverage for pharmacist services to pay or reimburse the cost of the service performed by a pharmacist at an in-network pharmacy or a pharmacist at an out-of-network pharmacy if the insurer has an out-of-network pharmacy benefit. Existing law authorizes this payment or reimbursement when specified conditions are met, including that the coverage otherwise provides reimbursement for identical services performed by other licensed health care providers. This bill would additionally require those health care service plans and disability insurers to pay or reimburse the cost of the service performed by an advanced practice pharmacist enrolled as a provider with the plan or insurer. The bill would authorize payment or reimbursement if the coverage otherwise provides reimbursement for similar services performed by other licensed health care providers, among other requirements. Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements relative to health care service plans would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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 establishes the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, and the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires, on and after January 1, 2023, each student health center on a California State University or University of California campus to offer abortion by medication techniques, as specified. This bill would require a California State University campus, and would request a University of California campus, to provide adoption information to students in each location on campus where contraception and emergency contraception information is available, including when birth control and levonorgestrel are provided to students through the campus's student health center or pharmacy, as specified.
