Under the existing Emergency Medical Air Transportation Act, a penalty of $4 is imposed upon every conviction for a violation of the Vehicle Code, or a local ordinance adopted pursuant to the Vehicle Code, other than a parking offense. Existing law requires the county or the court that imposed the fine to transfer the moneys collected pursuant to this act to the Emergency Medical Air Transportation Act Fund. Under existing law, money in the Emergency Medical Air Transportation Act Fund is made available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the State Department of Health Care Services for specified purposes relating to emergency medical air transportation. Under existing law, the assessment of this $4 penalty will terminate on January 1, 2018, and any moneys unexpended and unencumbered in the Emergency Medical Air Transportation Act Fund on June 30, 2019, will transfer to the General Fund. Existing law repeals the Emergency Medical Air Transportation Act on January 1, 2020. This bill would rename the Emergency Medical Air Transportation Act Fund as the Emergency Medical Air Transportation and Children's Coverage Fund and would authorize the department to use money from the fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to fund children's health care coverage in addition to the purposes described above. This bill would extend the dates of the Emergency Medical Air Transportation Act, so that the assessment of the penalties will terminate commencing January 1, 2020, and any moneys unexpended and unencumbered in the Emergency Medical Air Transportation and Children's Coverage Fund on June 30, 2021, would be transferred to the General Fund. The bill would extend the effective date of the Emergency Medical Air Transportation Act until January 1, 2022. The bill would also make conforming changes.
Sponsored bills
Existing law regulates the packaging, labeling, and advertising of drugs and devices. This bill would generally prohibit a person who manufactures a prescription drug from offering in California any discount, repayment, product voucher, or other reduction in an individual's out-of-pocket expenses associated with his or her health insurance, health care service plan, or other health coverage, including, but not limited to, a copayment, coinsurance, or deductible, for any prescription drug if a lower cost generic drug is covered under the individual's health insurance, health care service plan, or other health coverage on a lower cost-sharing tier that is designated as therapeutically equivalent to the prescription drug manufactured by that person or if the active ingredients of the drug are contained in products regulated by the federal Food and Drug Administration, are available without prescription at a lower cost, and are not otherwise contraindicated for the condition for which the prescription drug is approved. The bill would specify exceptions to these prohibitions, including, among other things, if the individual has completed any applicable step therapy or prior authorization for the prescription drug as mandated by the individual's health insurer, health care service plan, or other health coverage, or if a rebate is received by a state agency. The bill would also clarify that it does not prohibit an entity, including a manufacturer of prescription drugs, from offering a pharmaceutical product free of any cost, if the product is free of cost to both the patient and his or her health insurer, health care service plan, or other health coverage, that it does not affect a pharmacist's ability to substitute a prescription drug, and that it does not prohibit or limit assistance to a patient provided by an independent charity patient assistance program, as defined.
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 (DMHC) 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 (DOI) . Existing law requires health care service plans and health insurers to file specified rate information with DMHC or DOI, as applicable, for health care service plan contracts or health insurance policies in the individual or small group markets and for health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies in the large group market. Existing law requires health care service plans and health insurers to also disclose specified supporting information for the rate information described above. Existing law requires the DMHC and DOI, as applicable, to conduct an annual public meeting regarding large group rates within 3 months of posting that information. This bill would require health care service plans or health insurers that file the above-described rate information to report to DMHC or DOI, on a date no later than the reporting of the rate information, specified cost information regarding covered prescription drugs, including generic drugs, brand name drugs, and specialty drugs, dispensed as provided. DMHC and DOI would be required to compile the reported information into a report for the public and legislators that demonstrates the overall impact of drug costs on health care premiums and publish the reports on their Internet Web sites by January 1 of each year. Except for the report, DMHC and DOI would be required to keep confidential all information provided pursuant to these provisions. The bill would also require health care service plans or health insurers that file the above-described rate information to disclose to DMHC and DOI with the rate information specified information regarding the relation of prescription drug costs to plan or insurer spending and premium charges. The bill would instead require DMHC and DOI to conduct an annual public meeting within 4 months of posting the rate information described above. 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. The bill would require a manufacturer of a prescription drug with a wholesale acquisition cost of more than $40 that is purchased or reimbursed by specified purchasers, including state agencies, health care service plans, health insurers, and pharmacy benefit managers, to notify the purchaser of an increase in the wholesale acquisition cost of a prescription drug if the increase in the wholesale acquisition cost for a course of therapy, as defined, exceeds a specified threshold. The bill would require that notice to be given at least 60 days prior to the planned effective date of the increase. Commencing no earlier than January 1, 2019, the bill would require the manufacturer to notify the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) of specified information relating to that increase in wholesale acquisition cost on a quarterly basis at a time and in a format prescribed by the office. The bill would require the manufacturer to notify OSHPD of specified information relating to the wholesale acquisition cost, marketing, and usage of a new prescription drug if the cost exceeds a specified threshold, and would require OSHPD to publish that information on its Internet Web site, as specified. The bill would require OSHPD to enforce the provisions requiring manufacturer reporting to OSHPD and would subject a manufacturer to liability for a civil penalty if the information described above is not reported. The bill would authorize OSHPD to adopt regulations or issue guidance for the implementation of these provisions. The bill would require the California Research Bureau to report to the Legislature on the implementation of these provisions, and would subject these provisions to review by the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature, as specified. Existing law establishes the California Health Data and Planning Fund within the office for the purpose of receiving and expending certain fee revenues. Existing law establishes the Managed Care Fund for the purpose of supporting the administration of DMHC. Existing law establishes the Insurance Fund for, among other things, the support of DOI as authorized in the annual Budget Act. This bill would prohibit the use of any moneys in the fund from being used for the implementation of these provisions. The bill would provide that funding for the office to conduct the activities described above shall be provided, subject to appropriation by the Legislature, from transfers of moneys from the Managed Care Fund and the Insurance Fund, as specified. This bill would provide that the above-described provisions are severable. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. 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.
(1) Existing federal law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , effective June 19, 2017, requires an American Health Benefit Exchange that facilitates the purchase of qualified health plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers to provide for the individual market an annual open enrollment period for policy years beginning on or after January 1, 2018, to begin on November 1 and extend through December 15 of the calendar year preceding the benefit year. Existing federal law establishes special enrollment periods during which a qualified individual may enroll in a qualified health plan when specified triggering events occur, such as when the qualified individual losses minimum essential coverage, as defined. Existing federal regulatory authority authorizes a state to establish additional special enrollment periods to supplement these special enrollment periods provided for under federal law under certain circumstances. Existing law establishes the California Health Benefit Exchange within state government for the purpose of facilitating the purchase of qualified health plans through the Exchange by qualified individuals and qualified small employers. 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 a health care service plan and health insurer, on and after October 1, 2013, to offer, market, and sell all of the plan's or health insurer's health benefit plans that are sold in the individual market for policy years on or after January 1, 2014, to all individuals and dependents in each service area in which the plan or insurer provides or arranges for the provision of health care services, as specified, but requires plans and insurers to limit enrollment in individual health benefit plans offered both through and outside of the Exchange to specified open enrollment and special enrollment periods. Existing law requires a plan and health insurer to provide an annual enrollment period for policy years beginning on or after January 1, 2016, from November 1, of the preceding calendar year, to January 31 of the benefit year, inclusive. Existing law requires a plan and health insurer, annually on or before October 1, to issue a notice to a subscriber and policyholder, as applicable, enrolled in any individual health benefit plan offered outside of the Exchange, and requires this notice to inform the subscriber and policyholder of, among other things, the applicable open enrollment period provided through the Exchange. This bill would instead require, with respect to individual health benefit plans offered outside of the Exchange, that the annual open enrollment period for policy years beginning on or after January 1, 2019, extend from October 15 of the preceding calendar year, to January 15 of the benefit year, inclusive. The bill would instead require, with respect to individual health benefit plans offered through the Exchange, that the annual open enrollment period for policy years beginning on or after January 1, 2019, extend from November 1 to December 15 of the preceding calendar year, inclusive. The bill would require a health care service plan and a health insurer, with respect to individual health benefit plans offered through the Exchange, for policy years beginning on or after January 1, 2019, to provide a special enrollment period that will allow individuals to enroll in individual health benefit plans through the Exchange from October 15 to October 31 of the preceding calendar year, inclusive, and from December 16, of the preceding calendar year, to January 15 of the benefit year, inclusive, and would require an application for a health benefit plan submitted during this special enrollment period to be treated the same as an application submitted during the annual open enrollment period. The bill would require a plan and health insurer to also include in the annual notice described above information regarding the applicable special enrollment periods. The bill would make conforming changes. Because a willful violation of that requirement by a health care service plan would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) The PPACA creates various premium stabilization programs, such as the transitional reinsurance program and the risk adjustment program, to stabilize premiums in the individual market inside and outside of the Exchanges. Under the transitional reinsurance program, contributions are collected from contributing entities to fund reinsurance payments to issuers of nongrandfathered reinsurance-eligible individual market plans and the administrative costs of operating the reinsurance program for the 2014, 2015, and 2016 benefit years. Existing law requires a health care service plan and health insurer to consider the claims experience of all enrollees and all insureds in all nongrandfathered individual health benefit plans offered by that plan or insurer in this state as a single risk pool for rating purposes in the individual market and to consider the claims experience of all enrollees and all insureds in all nongrandfathered small group market plans offered by that plan or insurer in this state as a single risk pool for rating purposes in the small market. Existing law requires a plan and health insurer to establish, each calendar year, an index rate for those markets in the state based on the total combined claims costs for providing essential health benefits, as defined, within the single risk pool and requires the index rate to be adjusted on a marketwide basis based on the total expected marketwide payments and charges under the risk adjustment and reinsurance programs established for the state under the federal provisions described above and the Exchange user fees. Existing law requires the premium rate for all of the individual health benefit plans and small employer health benefit plans within the single risk pool to use the applicable marketwide adjusted index rate, as specified. This bill would delete the reference to the federal transitional reinsurance program in these provisions. (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 federal law, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, provides for the negotiation and execution of tribal-state gaming compacts for the purpose of authorizing certain types of gaming on Indian lands within a state. The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to negotiate and conclude tribal-state gaming compacts, subject to ratification by the Legislature. Existing law expressly ratifies a number of tribal-state gaming compacts, and amendments of tribal-state gaming compacts, between the State of California and specified Indian tribes. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on a project, as defined, that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment, as defined, or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. This bill would ratify the tribal-state gaming compact entered into between the State of California and the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, executed on August 18, 2017. The bill would provide that, in deference to tribal sovereignty, certain actions related to that compact are not projects for purposes of CEQA. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law, the Marks-Roos Local Bond Pooling Act of 1985, authorizes joint powers authorities, among other powers, to issue bonds and loan the proceeds to local agencies to finance specified types of projects and programs. This bill would enact the Water Bill Savings Act, which would authorize a joint powers authority to provide funding for a customer of a local agency in the Counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma or its publicly owned utility to acquire, install, or repair a water efficiency improvement on the customer's property served by the local agency or its publicly owned utility. The bill would require the customer to repay the authority through an efficiency charge on the customer's water bill to be established and collected by the local agency or its publicly owned utility on behalf of the authority pursuant to a servicing agreement. The bill would authorize the authority to issue bonds to fund the program. The bill would require an efficiency improvement to comply with certain provisions of the CalConserve Water Use Efficiency Revolving Loan Program guidelines to be eligible for financing under the bill. The bill would also make technical changes. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the San Francisco Bay Area and the County of Los Angeles.
This measure would recognize September 11, 2017, as a day of solemn commemoration and extend the Legislature's deepest sympathies to the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
This measure would urge the Congress of the United States to not enact S. 446, H.R. 38, or any other similar "concealed carry reciprocity" legislation that would require the State of California to recognize the concealed carry standards of every other state.
Existing law requires a person taking steelhead trout in inland waters, in addition to a valid California sport fishing license and any applicable sport license stamp, to have in his or her possession a valid nontransferable steelhead trout fishing report-restoration card issued by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Under existing law, the base fee for the fishing report-restoration card was $5 for the 2004 license year and is authorized to be adjusted annually pursuant to a specified index. Existing law requires revenues to be deposited in the Fish and Game Preservation Fund and to be available for expenditure, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to monitor, restore, or enhance steelhead trout resources consistent with specified law, and to administer the fishing report-restoration card program. Existing law requires the department to report to the Legislature on or before July 1, 2016, regarding the steelhead trout fishing report-restoration card program's projects undertaken using revenues derived pursuant to that program, the benefits derived, and its recommendations for revising the fishing report-restoration card requirement, if any. These provisions become inoperative as of July 1, 2017, and are repealed as of January 1, 2018. This bill would extend the operation of those provisions to July 1, 2022, to be repealed as of January 1, 2023. The bill would require the department to report to the Legislature regarding the fishing report-restoration card program's projects on or before July 1, 2021. Because this bill would extend the operation of the fishing report-restoration card requirements, the violation of which would be a crime, it 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. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
This measure would proclaim the month of September 2017 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and state the commitment of the Legislature to support efforts to find cures for, and achieve prevention of, childhood cancer.