Asm. Jim Wood

Existing law, the Pharmacy Law, provides for the licensure and regulation of the practice of pharmacy by the California State Board of Pharmacy within the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law authorizes certain clinics to purchase drugs at wholesale for administration or dispensing, under the direction of a physician and surgeon, to patients registered for care at the clinic, including, among others, a clinic operated by a primary care community or free clinic, operated on separate premises from a licensed clinic, that is open no more than 20 hours per week. This bill would increase the number of hours the above-specified clinic is authorized to be open to not more than 40 hours per week.

This measure would designate the bridge over Jordan Creek on State Highway 101 in the County of Humboldt as the Annette Brooks Memorial Bridge. The measure would request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering the cost, to erect those signs.

This measure would state that the Legislature strongly and unequivocally objects to federal preemption of state authority relating to the regulation of vessel discharges in California waters, remains steadfast in its commitment to protect California's waters from aquatic invasive species introductions, and is resolved to consider any appropriate actions to overturn the federal preemption of California authority.

Existing law, the Stop Tobacco Access to Kids Enforcement (STAKE) Act, prohibits the sale, distribution, or nonsale distribution of tobacco products, as defined, directly or indirectly to any person under 21 years of age through the United States Postal Service or through any other public or private postal or package delivery service. Existing law requires a person selling or distributing tobacco products directly to a consumer through the United States Postal Service or by another postal or package delivery service to comply with specified age-verification policies and deliver only to the consumer's verified mailing or billing address, as applicable. Existing law authorizes enforcing agencies to assess civil penalties for violations of the STAKE Act. This bill would additionally require sellers, distributors, and nonsale distributors to deliver tobacco products only in conspicuously marked containers, as specified, and to obtain the signature of a person 21 years of age or older before delivering a tobacco product. The bill would allow a person to designate an address for delivery that is different from the person's mailing or billing address, if the person's mailing or billing address has been verified in accordance with specified provisions.

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 also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies to provide coverage for specified benefits. This bill, known as the Let California Kids Hear Act, would require a health care service plan contract or a health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after July 1, 2020, to include coverage for hearing aids, as defined, for an enrollee or insured under 18 years of age. The bill would require the coverage to be performed by contracted providers, except as specified. The bill would require the contracted providers to include a pediatric audiologist for children under 5 years of age. The bill would require hearing aids covered under the bill to be subject to the cost sharing imposed by the plan contract or health insurance policy for durable medical equipment, as specified. Because a willful violation of these requirements by a health care service plan would be a 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.

Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Existing law requires the commission to design and implement a program to provide a telecommunications device capable of serving the needs of individuals who are deaf or hearing impaired, together with a single party line, at no charge additional to the basic exchange rate, to any subscriber who is certified as an individual who is deaf or hearing impaired by a licensed physician and surgeon, audiologist, or a qualified state or federal agency, as determined by the commission. Existing law also authorizes a physician assistant to certify the needs of an individual who has been diagnosed by a physician and surgeon as being deaf or hard of hearing to participate in the program after reviewing the medical records or copies of the medical records containing that diagnosis. This bill would additionally authorize a nurse practitioner to certify for this purpose the needs of an individual who has been diagnosed by a physician and surgeon as being deaf or hard of hearing to participate in the program after reviewing the medical records or copies of the medical records containing that diagnosis. Existing law requires the commission to design and implement a program whereby specialized or supplemental telephone communications equipment may be provided to subscribers who are certified to be disabled at no charge additional to the basic exchange rate. Existing law requires that the certification, including a statement of visual or medical need for specialized telecommunications equipment, be provided by a licensed optometrist, physician and surgeon, or physician assistant, acting within the scope of practice of the applicable license, or by a qualified state or federal agency as determined by the commission. This bill would additionally authorize a nurse practitioner to certify a subscriber to be disabled for this purpose. Existing law additionally requires the commission to design and implement a program to provide access to a speech-generating device to any subscriber who is certified as having a speech disability at no charge additional to the basic exchange rate. Existing law requires that the certification be provided by a licensed physician, licensed speech-language pathologist, or qualified state or federal agency. This bill would additionally authorize a nurse practitioner to certify a subscriber as having a speech disability for this purpose. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 2881 of the Public Utilities Code proposed by AB 497 to be operative only if this bill and AB 497 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

This measure would, among other things, designate the year 2019 as "State of California Year of Commemoration of the Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923," would designate April 24, 2019, as "State of California Day of Commemoration of the 104th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923," and would call upon the President of the United States and the United States Congress to formally and consistently reaffirm the historical truth that the atrocities committed against the Armenian people constituted genocide.

This measure would request the Trustees of the California State University and the Regents of the University of California to conduct a study on the usefulness, effectiveness, and need for the SAT and ACT to determine student admissions, and would provide that the study should include evaluation of specified admissions eligibility and qualifications measures and testing issues. The measure would also provide that the study should include recommendations and, if determined necessary, a plan for phasing out the use of the SAT and ACT as a basis for admission.

This measure would request the President and the Congress of the United States to enact legislation that would strengthen the communication between federal, state, local, and tribal officials, and that would require the United States Department of Justice, United States Department of the Interior, and United States Department of Health and Human Services to seek recommendations from tribes in enhancing the safety of Native American women and girls. The measure would also request that the Attorney General of the State of California begin the collection of data as it relates to missing and murdered Native American women and girls.