Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, authorizes the Medical Board of California to grant approval of the employment of licensees on a salary basis by licensed charitable institutions, foundations, or clinics if no charge for professional services is made, in accordance with specified requirements. Existing law provides an exception to the prohibition on charging for professional services for a federally certified critical access hospital that employs licensees and charges for professional services rendered by those licensees to patients under specified conditions, including that the medical staff concur by an affirmative vote that the licensee's employment is in the best interest of the communities served by the hospital. Existing law makes that exception operative only until January 1, 2024. This bill would delete the provision making the above-specified exception inoperative on January 1, 2024. The bill would make nonsubstantive changes by deleting inoperative reporting requirements.
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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 the department, to the extent required by federal law, for Medi-Cal recipients who are qualified Medicare beneficiaries, to pay the Medicare premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance for certain elderly and disabled persons. Existing federal law authorizes states to pay for Medicare benefits for specified enrollees pursuant to either a buy-in agreement to directly enroll and pay premiums or a group payer arrangement to pay premiums. This bill would require the department to enter into a Medicare Part A buy-in agreement, as defined, for qualified Medicare beneficiaries with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services by submitting a state plan amendment. Under the bill, the buy-in agreement would be effective on January 1, 2025, or the date the department communicates to the Department of Finance in writing that systems have been programmed for implementation of these provisions, whichever date is later. The bill would authorize the department to implement these provisions through all-county letters or similar instructions until regulations are adopted. Under the bill, these provisions would be implemented only to the extent that any necessary federal approvals are obtained and that federal financial participation is available and is not otherwise jeopardized. To the extent that the bill would increase duties for counties, 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, until January 1, 2024, defines the offense of aggravated arson, and defines the aggravating factors for the offense as, the person has been previously convicted of arson on one or more occasions within the past 10 years, the fire caused property damage and other losses in excess of $8,300,000, or the fire caused damage to, or the destruction of, 5 or more inhabited structures. Existing law, commencing January 1, 2024, deletes the aggravating factor of property damage and other losses in excess of $8,300,000 from the definition of aggravated arson. This bill would increase the dollar amount of property damages and other losses required to be an aggravating factor to $10,100,000, exclusive of damage to, or destruction of, inhabited dwellings. The bill would extend the operation of the former aggravated arson offense until January 1, 2029. The bill would delay operation of the latter aggravated arson offense that deletes the threshold dollar amount of property damages and other losses as an aggravating factor until January 1, 2029. By extending the operation of law defining 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.
Existing law, the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, provides for the involuntary commitment and treatment of a person who is a danger to themselves or others or who is gravely disabled. Existing law, for purposes of involuntary commitment, defines "gravely disabled" as either a condition in which a person, as a result of a mental health disorder, is unable to provide for their basic personal needs for food, clothing, or shelter or has been found mentally incompetent, as specified. This bill expands the definition of "gravely disabled" to also include a condition in which a person, as a result of a severe substance use disorder, or a co-occurring mental health disorder and a severe substance use disorder, is, in addition to the basic personal needs described above, unable to provide for their personal safety or necessary medical care, as defined. The bill would also expand the definition of "gravely disabled," as it applies to specified sections, to include, in addition to the basic needs described above, the inability for a person to provide for their personal safety or necessary medical care as a result of chronic alcoholism. The bill would authorize counties to defer implementation of these provisions to January 1, 2026, as specified. The bill would make conforming changes. To the extent that this change increases the level of service required of county mental health departments, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law also authorizes the appointment of a conservator, in the County of Los Angeles, the County of San Diego, or the City and County of San Francisco, for a person who is incapable of caring for the person's own health and well-being due to a serious mental illness and substance use disorder. Existing law establishes the hearsay rule, under which evidence of a statement is generally inadmissible if it was made other than by a witness while testifying at a hearing and is offered to prove the truth of the matter stated. Existing law sets forth exceptions to the hearsay rule to permit the admission of specified kinds of evidence. Under this bill, for purposes of an opinion offered by an expert witness in any proceeding relating to the appointment or reappointment of a conservator pursuant to the above-described provisions, the statements of specified health practitioners or a licensed clinical social worker included in the medical record would not be made inadmissible by the hearsay rule under specified conditions. The bill would authorize the court to grant a reasonable continuance if an expert witness in a proceeding relied on the medical record and the medical record has not been provided to the parties or their counsel. Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to collect data quarterly and publish, on or before May 1 of each year, a specified report that includes, among other things, the number of persons for whom temporary conservatorship are established in each county and an analysis and evaluation of the efficacy of mental health assessments, detentions, treatments, and supportive services provided, as specified. This bill would, beginning with the report due May 1, 2024, require the report to also include the number of persons admitted or detained, as specified, for conditions that include, among others, grave disability due to a mental health disorder, severe substance use disorder, or both a mental health disorder and a severe substance use disorder. 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 requires the Public Utilities Commission, in collaboration with relevant state agencies and stakeholders, to maintain and update a statewide, publicly accessible, and interactive map showing the accessibility of broadband service in the state. Existing law authorizes the commission to collect information from providers of broadband services at the address level and prohibits the commission from disclosing certain protected residential subscriber information. This bill would require that the map identify, for each address in the state, each provider of broadband services that offers service at the address and the maximum speed of broadband services offered by each provider of broadband services at the address. The bill would additionally require that map to include certain features to receive self-reported data, including, among others, a feature that allows individuals to refute the broadband speed or technology, or both, that an internet service provider claims to offer at an address. The bill would require that map to include a feature for users to submit a verified speed test, as defined, at their location. The bill would make this self-reported data publicly available by address and would require the commission to obtain consent from an individual before publicly disclosing information that the individual submits, as provided. The bill would prohibit the commission from accepting certain self-reported information collected by the commission as evidence in a commission proceeding unless the commission validates the accuracy of that self-reported information.
Existing law establishes procedures for authors to submit arguments for and against local ballot measures, and rebuttals to those arguments, in accordance with deadlines set by local elections officials. Existing law requires elections officials to select arguments from those submitted for publication in the voter information guide. This bill would establish a lead county, as defined, for the purposes of district or school district elections when the boundaries of the district or school district encompass more than one county. The bill would require authors of arguments for or against district or school district measures, and related rebuttal arguments, to submit the arguments to the elections official of the lead county. The bill would require the elections official of the lead county to work with the other counties within the district bounds to establish deadlines for receipt of the arguments. The bill would require the elections official of the lead county to select the arguments for publication in the county voter information guide, and to transmit copies of the selected arguments to elections officials in the other counties within the district or school district, as specified. The bill would require an elections official who receives arguments selected by the lead county to include the arguments in their county voter information guide. Existing law permits an elections official to post a form on their internet website for a candidate to use to submit the candidate's statement for the voter information portion of the county voter information guide. If the elections official posts the form, existing law requires the elections official to accept that form by electronic submission if it is submitted in accordance with certain timeframes and procedures for the preparation of the voter information portion of the county voter information guide. Existing law requires a candidate running in a multicounty district to provide to each county a hardcopy of the candidate statement form from the candidate's county of residence and payment of the requisite fee. This bill would require elections officials to post and accept electronic submission of a form for candidates to submit a candidate statement for the voter information portion of the county voter information guide. The bill would authorize a candidate running in a multicounty district to submit to each county an electronic copy of the form from the candidate's county of residence, and would require the candidate to transmit hardcopies of the candidate statement form, any accompanying form, and payment of the requisite fee to each county by overnight mail within 72 hours of filing the statement electronically. By increasing the duties of local elections officials, 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, 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. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law, the Dental Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of dentists and dental assistants by the Dental Board of California. Existing law prohibits the practice of dentistry by any person without a valid license, except in certain circumstances, including a final year student, as defined, practicing dentistry at a sponsored event, without compensation or expectation of compensation and under the supervision of a licensed dentist with a clinical faculty appointment, if specified conditions are met. Existing law defines a final year student, for this purpose, to mean a student of dentistry in the student's final year of completion at a dental school approved by the board, including a student enrolled in an advanced dental program. Existing law imposes various requirements on the practice of final year students at a sponsored event, including that they perform only those procedures for which they are credentialed or are permitted to perform in a school setting, as specified. With respect to those above-described provisions relating to the practice of a final year student at a sponsored event, this bill would instead apply those provisions to a dental student, defined as a person who has begun clinical training at a dental school approved by the board, and would make conforming changes. The bill would additionally require the designated supervising faculty to assess each patient treated by a dental student at a sponsored event and to determine if the assigned student has the skill level necessary to provide that patient care. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law establishes a workers' compensation system, administered by the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation, to compensate an employee for injuries sustained in the course of employment. Existing law provides, until January 1, 2025, that, for certain state and local firefighting personnel and peace officers, the term "injury" includes post-traumatic stress that develops or manifests during a period in which the injured person is in the service of the department or unit and creates a disputable presumption that the injury arises out of and comes in the course of employment. Existing law requires the compensation awarded pursuant to this provision to include full hospital, surgical, medical treatment, disability indemnity, and death benefits. This bill would instead repeal that provision on January 1, 2029, and would require the Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation to submit reports to the Legislature analyzing the effectiveness of the presumption and a review of claims filed by specified types of employees, not included in the presumption, such as public safety dispatchers, as defined.
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, with specified coverage for eligible children and pregnant persons funded by the federal Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) . Existing federal law authorizes a state to provide services under CHIP through a Medicaid expansion program, a separate program, or a combination program. Existing federal CHIP provisions require federal payment to a state with an approved child health plan for expenditures for health services initiatives (HSI) under the plan for improving the health of children, as specified. As part of limitations on expenditures not used for Medicaid or health insurance assistance, existing federal law, with exceptions, prohibits the amount of payment that may be made for a fiscal year for HSI expenditures and other certain costs from exceeding 10% of the total amount of CHIP expenditures, as specified. Pursuant to existing state law, the department established a 3-year pilot program, from 2015 through 2017, in the County of Los Angeles that enabled school districts to allow students enrolled in Medi-Cal managed care plans to receive vision care services at the schoolsite through the use of a mobile vision service provider, limited to vision examinations and providing eyeglasses. Existing law authorizes an applicant or provider that meets the requirements to qualify as a mobile optometric office to be enrolled in the Medi-Cal program as either a mobile optometric office or within any other provider category for which the applicant or provider qualifies. Existing law defines "mobile optometric office" as a trailer, van, or other means of transportation in which the practice of optometry is performed and which is not affiliated with an approved optometry school in the state. Under existing law, the ownership and operation of a mobile optometric office is limited to a nonprofit or charitable organization, as specified, with the owner and operator registering with the California State Board of Optometry. This bill would require the department to file all necessary state plan amendments to exercise the HSI option made available under CHIP provisions to cover vision services provided to low-income children statewide through a mobile optometric office, as specified. The bill would condition implementation of these provisions on receipt of any necessary federal approvals and the availability of federal financial participation. Under the bill, the federal financial participation would be limited to no more than 3% of the total federal dollars available for expenditures not used for Medicaid or health insurance assistance, as specified. The bill would require implementation of these provisions by January 1, 2025, or the date that any necessary federal approvals have been obtained, whichever date is later. The bill would require the department to seek to fund implementation of the above-described provisions with funding other than General Fund moneys, as specified. The bill would require that all of those derived revenues and applicable federal financial participation be deposited in the State Treasury to the credit of the Vision Services CHIP-HSI Special Fund, which the bill would create. Under the bill, moneys in the fund would be available to cover the vision services upon appropriation. Commencing with the first fiscal year in which the department requests funds for this purpose and annually thereafter, the bill would require the department to report on projected and actual federal and nonfederal resources and expenditures through the budget estimate process. The bill would require continued implementation of these provisions only if no General Fund moneys are used for these provisions. Existing law prohibits the owner and operator of a mobile optometric office and the optometrist providing services from accepting payment for services other than those provided to Medi-Cal beneficiaries. This bill would authorize acceptance of payment for those services provided through any of the state's programs under CHIP, in addition to the Medi-Cal program.
Existing law authorizes a person who is a firefighter, retired firefighter, or a surviving family member of a firefighter or retired firefighter to apply for special license plates for their vehicle. The special license plates, which contain the words "California Firefighter" and run in a regular numerical series, are issued upon application to the Department of Motor Vehicles, presentation of proof of certain facts, and payment of certain fees, including $35 for a renewal of registration that includes the continued display of the special license plate. This bill would increase the fee to $40 for a renewal of registration that includes the continued display of the special license plate.