(1) Existing law declares that it is the public policy of the state that environmental marketing claims, whether explicit or implied, should be substantiated by competent and reliable evidence to prevent deceiving or misleading consumers about the environmental impact of plastic products and that, for consumers to have accurate and useful information about the environmental impact of plastic products, environmental marketing claims should adhere to uniform and recognized standards. This bill would further declare that it is the public policy of the state that claims related to the recyclability of a product or packaging be truthful and that consumers deserve accurate and useful information related to how to properly handle the end of life of a product or packaging. This bill would require the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, on or before January 1, 2024, in order to provide information to the public to evaluate whether a product or packaging is recyclable in the state and is of a material type and form that routinely become feedstock used in the production of new products and packaging, to update specified regulations to require disposal facility operators, among other operations and facilities, to provide information to the department regarding how material collected or processed by the operations and facilities was collected and what material types and forms are actively recovered, and not considered contaminants, by the operation or facility. The bill would require the department to conduct, publish on its internet website, and update as provided, a characterization study of material types and forms that are collected, sorted, sold, or transferred by solid waste facilities identified by the department for inclusion in the study. The bill would provide that, except as specified, a product or packaging is considered recyclable in the state if, based on the information published by the department, the product or packaging is of a material type and form collected for recycling by recycling programs for jurisdictions that collectively encompass at least 60% of the population of the state, among other statewide recyclability criteria. (2) Under existing law, it is unlawful for any person to make any untruthful, deceptive, or misleading environmental marketing claim, whether explicit or implied. A violation of this requirement is a misdemeanor. This bill would prohibit a person from offering for sale, selling, distributing, or importing into the state any product or packaging for which a deceptive or misleading claim about the recyclability of the product or packaging is made. The bill would provide that, except as specified, a product or packaging that displays a chasing arrows symbol, among other symbols, statements, or directions, is deemed to be a deceptive or misleading claim unless the product or packaging is considered recyclable pursuant to statewide recyclability criteria and is of a material type and form that routinely becomes feedstock used in the production of new products or packaging, as provided. The bill would therefore expand the scope of an existing crime and impose a state-mandated local program. (3) Under existing law, a person who represents in advertising or on the label or container of a consumer good that the consumer good that it manufactures or distributes is not harmful to, or is beneficial to, the natural environment, through the use of environmental terms, is required to maintain in its records specified information and documentation supporting the validity of the representation, including, if applicable, whether the consumer good conforms with the uniform standards contained in the Federal Trade Commission Guidelines for Environmental Marketing Claims for the use of the term "recyclable," among other terms. A violation of this requirement is a misdemeanor. This bill would apply that recordkeeping requirement to a person who makes those representations through the use of a chasing arrows symbol, as defined, or by otherwise directing a consumer to recycle a consumer good. The bill would add to the required information and documentation for the use of the term "recyclable," the use of a chasing arrows symbol, or other representation that advises consumers to recycle a consumer good, whether the consumer good meets the criteria for statewide recyclability. The bill would provide that a direction to a consumer that accurately instructs the consumer to properly dispose of or otherwise properly handle a consumer good at the end of its useful life shall not be considered "otherwise directing a consumer to recycle a consumer good" if the consumer good is subject to one of several enumerated programs. The bill would provide that directing a consumer to compost or properly dispose of a consumer good through an organics recycling program is also not considered "otherwise directing a consumer to recycle a consumer good." A violation of these provisions would be a misdemeanor. The bill would therefore create a new crime and impose a state-mandated local program. (4) Existing law requires all rigid plastic bottles and rigid plastic containers sold in the state to be labeled with a code that indicates the resin used to produce the bottles or containers, with specified numbers and letters placed in relation to a triangle. This bill would prohibit the resin identification code from being placed inside a chasing arrows symbol, unless the rigid plastic bottle or rigid plastic container meets the requirements for statewide recyclability. (5) 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.
Sponsored bills
Existing law, the End of Life Option Act, until January 1, 2026, authorizes an adult who meets certain qualifications, and who has been determined by their attending physician to be suffering from a terminal disease, as defined, to make a request for an aid-in-dying drug for the purpose of ending their life. Existing law establishes the procedures for making these requests, including that 2 oral requests be made a minimum of 15 days apart, specified forms to request an aid-in-dying drug be submitted, under specified circumstances, and a final attestation be completed. Existing law requires specified information to be documented in the individual's medical record, including, among other things, all oral and written requests for an aid-in-dying drug. This bill would allow for an individual to qualify for aid-in-dying medication by making 2 oral requests a minimum of 48 hours apart. The bill would eliminate the requirement that an individual who is prescribed and ingests aid-in-dying medication make a final attestation. The bill would require that the date of all oral and written requests be documented in an individual's medical record and would require that upon a transfer of care, that record be provided to the qualified individual. The bill would extend the operation of the act until January 1, 2031, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program by extending the operation of crimes for specified violations of the act. Existing law makes participation in activities authorized pursuant to the act voluntary, and makes individual health care providers immune from liability for refusing to engage in activities authorized pursuant to its provisions, including providing information about the act or referring an individual to a provider who prescribes aid-in-dying medication. This bill would require a health care provider who is unable or unwilling to participate under the act to inform the individual seeking an aid-in-dying medication that they do not participate, document the date of the individual's request and the provider's notice of their objection, and transfer their relevant medical record upon request. Existing law authorizes a health care provider to prohibit its employees, independent contractors, or other persons or entities, including other health care providers, from participating under the act, including acting as a consulting physician, while on the premises owned or under the management or direct control of that prohibiting health care provider, or while acting within the course and scope of any employment by, or contract with, the prohibiting health care provider. This bill would instead authorize a health care entity to prohibit employees and contractors, as specified, from participating under the act while on the entity's premises or in the course of their employment. The bill would prohibit a health care provider or health care entity from engaging in false, misleading, or deceptive practices relating to their willingness to qualify an individual or provide a prescription for an aid-in-dying medication to a qualified individual. The bill would require a health care entity to post its current policy regarding medical aid in dying on its internet website. 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) The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, which is administered by the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, is established to promote beverage container recycling and provides for the payment, collection, and distribution of certain payments and fees based on minimum refund values established for beverage containers. The act requires the department to annually designate convenience zones, as defined, throughout the state, and requires at least one certified recycling center or location within every convenience zone that accepts and pays the refund value, if any, at one location for all types of beverage containers. The act requires a certified recycling center or location to be open for business during at least 30 hours per week with a minimum of 5 hours of operation occurring during periods other than from Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., as provided. The act specifies that a certified recycling center that is not a reverse vending machine, as defined, is "open for business" if specified criteria are met, including that an employee of the certified recycling center or location is present during the hours of operation and available to the public to accept containers and to pay the refund values. The act provides that a recycling center that is a reverse vending machine that accepts all types of empty beverage containers except those that are 3 or more liters in volume and those that are pouches is open for business if it provides an attendant to accept all types of empty beverage containers for no less than 10 hours per week, as provided, and is operable and properly functioning for no less than 70 hours per week. The act requires the department to pay handling fees to those recycling centers, and requires those recycling centers to pay refund values, on the basis of the number of beverage containers redeemed through the reverse vending machines, and not on the basis of weight. A violation of the act is an infraction. This bill would apply the above-specified provisions applicable to reverse vending machines to bag drop recycling centers, defined to mean a recycling location operated by a recycling center at which consumers can drop off bagged empty beverage containers for redemption. The bill would require a bag drop recycling center to pay the refund value for beverage containers within a reasonable period of time, not to exceed 3 business days. Because a violation of this requirement would be a crime under the act, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require, on or before July 1, 2022, the department to develop and implement a process pursuant to which a certified recycling center can apply to the department for authorization to operate on an alternative schedule, as specified. The bill would require the department to include in its process, among other components, criteria the department shall use to authorize a certified recycling center to operate on an alternative schedule. The bill would provide that, until January 1, 2023, a certified recycling center or location that is not a reverse vending machine or a bag drop recycling center is additionally "open for business" if the certified recycling center or location receives written authorization from the department to operate pursuant to an appointment system during the hours of operation and the certified recycling center or location meets specified requirements. The bill would require the department to authorize a certified recycling center or location to operate pursuant to an appointment system only if the department determines that high customer demand, weather, or public health and safety concerns warrant the implementation of an appointment system at the certified recycling center or location, and the certified recycling center or location posts certain information. The bill would also make related and conforming changes and update cross-references. (2) Existing regulations prohibit a certified recycler from paying the refund value to, or claiming the refund value for any material received from, any person not certified pursuant to the act delivering a load of beverage container material in excess of specified amounts per day. This bill would specify that a dealer delivering empty beverage containers received from the public to a certified recycling center or processor for recycling pursuant to a specified provision is not subject to those daily limits. (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.
The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, which is administered by the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, is established to promote beverage container recycling and provides for the payment, collection, and distribution of certain payments and fees based on minimum refund values established for beverage containers. The act requires a distributor of beverage containers to pay to the department the redemption payment for every beverage container sold or transferred to a dealer for deposit into the California Beverage Container Recycling Fund. The act defines "recycling" for its purposes as the reuse or refilling of empty beverage containers, or the process of sorting, cleansing, treating, and reconstituting empty postfilled beverage containers for the purpose of using the altered form. The act requires the department to certify processors and requires certified processors to comply with specified requirements for operation, including, among others, taking the actions necessary and approved by the department to cancel containers to render them unfit for redemption. A violation of the act is an infraction. This bill would authorize the department to authorize a processor to satisfy that cancellation requirement by washing a reusable beverage container or transferring a reusable beverage container for subsequent washing to a processor approved by the department. The bill would authorize the department to certify additional models of processors that are determined necessary to implement that provision and would require, by January 1, 2024, the Director of Resources Recycling and Recovery to adopt by regulation the requirements and standards for the certification and operation of those processors, as specified. By creating crimes relating to reusable beverage containers, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would define "reusable beverage container" for purposes of the act to mean a glass beverage container with a refund value established pursuant to the act and that is processed by a processor for subsequent washing for refill and sale by a beverage manufacturer. 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 law establishes the Department of Health Care Access and Information and requires the department to maintain a Health Professions Career Opportunity Program to, among other things, implement programs at colleges and universities selected by the department and include in those programs pipeline programs that provide comprehensive academic enrichment, career development, mentorship, and advising in order to support students from underrepresented regions and backgrounds to pursue health careers. Existing law requires, in accordance with the compliance schedule approved by the department, but in any case no later than January 1, 2030, owners of all acute care inpatient hospitals to either demolish, replace, or change to nonacute care use all hospital buildings not in substantial compliance with certain regulations and standards developed by the department related to seismic safety or to seismically retrofit all acute care inpatient hospital buildings so that they are in substantial compliance with those regulations and standards. This bill would authorize the department to enter into contracts, to meet the requirements of the Health Professions Career Opportunity Program, with nonprofit entities headquartered in California that have previous experience with administering statewide workforce programs aimed at building a diverse provider workforce. This bill would establish the Small and Rural Hospital Relief Program under the administration of the department for the purpose of funding seismic safety compliance with respect to small hospitals, rural hospitals, and critical access hospitals in the state. The bill would require the department to provide grants to small, rural, and critical access hospital applicants that meet certain criteria, including that seismic safety compliance, as defined, imposes a financial burden on the applicant that may result in hospital closure. The bill would also create the Small and Rural Hospital Relief Fund and would continuously appropriate the moneys in the fund for the purposes of administering and funding the grant program. (2) The Cigarette and Tobacco Products Tax Law imposes a tax on distributors of cigarettes at the rate of $2.87 per package of 20 cigarettes and a tax on distributors of tobacco products, based on wholesale cost, at a rate determined annually that is equivalent to the combined rate of all taxes imposed on cigarettes plus an additional rate equivalent to $0.50 per package of 20 cigarettes. These taxes are inclusive of the taxes imposed under the Tobacco Tax and Health Protection Act of 1988, the California Families and Children Act of 1998, and the California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016. The California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016 (Proposition 56) , an initiative measure approved at the November 8, 2016, statewide general election, revised the definition of tobacco products to include electronic cigarettes, thereby extending the taxes on distributors of tobacco products to distributors of electronic cigarettes, which is based on the wholesale cost of these products. Proposition 56 requires the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration to adopt regulations providing for the implementation of the equivalent tax on electronic cigarettes and the methods for collection of the tax. This bill would, beginning July 1, 2022, require a purchaser of electronic cigarettes, as defined, at retail to pay a tax on the purchase for use in this state of an electronic cigarette from a retailer of 12.5% of the sales price from the sale of an electronic cigarette. The bill would require a retailer to collect the tax from the purchaser at the time of the retail sale of an electronic cigarette. The bill would require all revenues, interest, and penalties, less refunds, collected from the tax described above to be deposited into the California Electronic Cigarette Excise Tax Fund, a continuously appropriated fund created by the bill, and would require all amounts in the fund to be distributed to the Health Education Account in the Cigarette and Tobacco Products Surtax Fund, the California Children and Families Trust Fund, to fund the Proposition 56 Medi-Cal Physicians and Dentists Loan Repayment Act, the University of California, to support the joint program in medical education between the University of California, Merced and the University of California, San Francisco at Fresno, the Small and Rural Hospital Relief Fund created by this bill, and to the Department of Health Care Access and Information to fund the Health Professions Career Opportunity Program described above, as specified. By creating a continuously appropriated fund and allocating additional moneys to continuously appropriated funds, this bill would make an appropriation. The bill would provide for the administration and collection of this tax pursuant to procedures set forth in the Fee Collection Procedures Law. By expanding the application of the Fee Collection Procedures Law, the violation of which is a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (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.
(1) The California Hospice Licensure Act of 1990 generally requires a person, political subdivision of the state, or other governmental agency to obtain a license from the State Department of Public Health to provide hospice to an individual who is experiencing the last phase of life due to a terminal disease and their family, except as provided. The act imposes criminal penalties on any person who violates any provision of the act or any rule or regulation promulgated under the act. This bill would prohibit a hospice provider, employed hospice staff, or an agent for the hospice from paying referral sources for the referral of patients to the hospice. The bill would prohibit a hospice salesperson, recruiter, agent, or employee who receives compensation or remuneration for hospice referrals or admissions from providing consultation on hospice services, hospice election, or informed consent to a patient, patient's family, or patient's representative. The bill would require a specified person, including a registered nurse or medical social worker, to complete the election of hospice, informed consent, completed signatures, and counsel on the election of hospice with a patient, patient's family, or patient's representative. The bill would require a hospice to provide verbal and written notice of the patient's rights and responsibilities to the patient or the patient's representative, in a language and manner the person understands, before providing care. Because the bill would expand the scope of the crime applicable for a violation of the act, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) 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 requires a hospital to maintain an understandable written policy regarding discount payments for financially qualified patients and an understandable written charity care policy. Existing law requires that uninsured patients or patients with high medical costs who are at or below 350% of the federal poverty level be eligible for charity care or discount payments from a hospital. Existing law defines "high medical costs" to mean, among other things, annual out-of-pocket costs at the hospital that exceed 10% of the patient's family income in the prior 12 months. Existing law authorizes a hospital to grant eligibility for charity care or discount payments to patients with incomes over 350% of the federal poverty level. Existing law requires a hospital to provide the Department of Health Care Access and Information with a copy of its discount payment policy and charity care policy, and requires the department to make the information public. Existing law requires a hospital to post notice of its policy for financially qualified and self-pay patients in designated locations that are visible to the public. This bill would instead require that uninsured patients or patients with high medical costs who are at or below 400% of the federal poverty level be eligible for charity care or discount payments from a hospital, and would authorize a hospital to grant eligibility for charity care or discount payments to patients with incomes over 400% of the federal poverty level. The bill would redefine "high medical costs" to include annual out-of-pocket costs at the hospital that exceed the lesser of 10% of the patient's current family income or family income in the prior 12 months. The bill would require a hospital to prominently display a notice of the hospital's policy for financially qualified and self-pay patients on the hospital's internet website with a link to the policy itself. The bill would also make related technical changes. Existing law requires a hospital to have a written policy about the advancing of patient debt to collection. Existing law requires the hospital, its assignee, or other owner of the patient debt to provide a patient with a clear and conspicuous notice with specified information about the debt before beginning collection activities against a patient, and prohibits a collection action before 150 days after the initial billing if the patient lacks coverage or may have high medical costs. Existing law requires a hospital to reimburse a patient for overpayments in excess of the amount due, including interest, and to give a patient a credit for the amount due at least 60 days from the date the amount is due. Existing law, the Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, prohibits debt collectors from engaging in unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the collection of consumer debts and to require debtors to act fairly in entering into and honoring those debts. A debt collector who violates the act is liable for specified damages and penalties to be paid to the debtor. Existing law prohibits a debt buyer from making a written statement to a debtor in an attempt to collect a consumer debt unless the debt buyer possesses specified information, including the date of default or the date of the last payment, and requires the debt buyer to include specified information in the written statement to the debtor. Existing law defines "debt buyer" to mean a person or entity that is regularly engaged in the business of purchasing charged-off consumer debt for collection purposes, whether it collects the debt itself, hires a third party for collection, or hires an attorney at law for collection litigation. This bill would prohibit a hospital from selling patient debt to a debt buyer, unless specified conditions are met, including that the hospital has found the patient ineligible for financial assistance or the patient has not responded to attempts to bill or offer financial assistance for 180 days. The bill would require a hospital to send a patient a notice with specified information, including an application for the hospital's charity care and financial assistance, before assigning a bill to collections, or selling patient debt to a debt buyer. The bill would prohibit a debt collector or debt buyer from collecting consumer debt that originated with a hospital without including in the first written communication to the debtor specified information, including a copy of the above-described notice sent by the hospital. The bill would prohibit debt collection before 180 days after the initial billing, regardless of the patient's financial status. The bill would require a hospital to provide the Department of Health Care Access and Information with a copy of its debt collection policy. The bill would require the department to review a hospital's policy for compliance with the law by January 1, 2023, and whenever a significant change is made and submitted to the department, and make this policy, as well as the hospital's discount payment policy and charity care policy, available on the department's internet website. The bill would require the department, commencing on January 1, 2024, to impose an administrative penalty against a hospital that improperly bills a patient, as specified, and to establish an appeals process by regulation. The bill would require a complaint in an action brought by a debt collector for a general acute care hospital debt to allege specified facts and to be accompanied by copies of the application for, and notice from the hospital regarding, financial assistance. The bill would require a hospital to refund a patient any overpayments within 30 days. Existing law requires a hospital to comply with the above provisions as a condition of licensure. This bill would delete the provision making compliance a condition of licensure. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 127410 of the Health and Safety Code proposed by AB 532 to be operative only if this bill and AB 532 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
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 about the availability of the hospital's discount payment and charity care policies, including information about eligibility and contact information for a hospital employee or office from which the patient may obtain further information about the policies. This bill would additionally require the written patient notice to include the internet address of a specified health consumer assistance entity and information regarding Covered California and Medi-Cal presumptive eligibility. The bill also would require the written patient notice to include the internet address for the hospital's list of shoppable services, pursuant to a specified federal regulation. The bill would require the notice to be provided at the time of service if the patient is conscious and able to receive written notice at that time, or at other designated times, as appropriate. Existing law requires a hospital to post notice of its policy for financially qualified and self-pay patients in designated locations that are visible to the public, including outpatient settings. This bill would specify that "outpatient settings" includes observation units for this purpose. Existing law generally requires a hospital, upon the request of a person without health coverage, to provide a written estimate of the amount the hospital will require a person without health coverage to pay for the health care services, procedures, and supplies that are reasonably expected to be provided to the person, as specified. Existing law also requires the hospital to provide the person with an application form for financial assistance or charity care, if the person requests the form. This bill would require the hospital to automatically provide the person with an estimate and an application form for financial assistance or charity care, without need for a specific request. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 127410 of the Health and Safety Code proposed by AB 1020 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1020 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
(1) Existing law requires the Office of Emergency Services, on or before July 1, 2020, by regulation, to adopt appropriate thresholds for determining whether a telecommunications service outage constitutes a community isolation outage based on the risks to public health and safety resulting from the outage. Existing law requires all providers of telecommunications service that provide access to 911 service to notify the office whenever a community isolation outage occurs that limits their customers' ability to make 911 calls or receive emergency notifications. Existing law requires those community isolation outage notifications to include certain information, including a description of the estimated area and community affected by the outage. This bill would require each of those providers of telecommunications service to maintain on its internet website a public outage map showing that provider's outages, and would require the office, in consultation with the Public Utilities Commission, on or before July 1, 2022, to adopt by regulation requirements for those maps, as specified. The bill would authorize the office to provide the commission with all of the information provided to it as part of a telecommunications service provider's community isolation outage notification and require the office to aggregate that data and post that aggregated data on its internet website. (2) Under the California Constitution and the Public Utilities Act, the commission has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. The act requires the commission to develop and implement performance reliability standards for backup power systems installed on the property of residential and small commercial customers by facilities-based providers of telephony services upon determining that the benefits of the standards exceed the costs. This bill would require the commission, in consultation with the office, to develop and implement backup electricity rules to require providers of telecommunications service to submit resiliency plans to maintain backup electricity for their telecommunications infrastructure sufficient to maintain telecommunications service for at least 72 hours, except as provided. (3) The act requires the commission to develop, publish, and annually update a report that contains specified information, including an accounting of the commission's transactions and proceedings from the prior year, together with other facts, suggestions, and recommendations that the commission deems of value to the people of the state. This bill would require that the report additionally include a description of the actions taken by the commission using the information provided to it by the office, as described in paragraph (1) , a summary of deenergization event trends and the effect of deenergization events on telecommunications service and public safety, and an analysis of how the impacts of deenergization events on telecommunications service could be mitigated. (4) Under existing law, a violation of the act or any order, decision, rule, direction, demand, or requirement of the commission is a crime. Because certain provisions of this bill would be parts of the act and because a violation of a commission action implementing the bill's requirements 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, the California Emergency Services Act, among other things, creates the Office of Emergency Services, which is responsible for the state's emergency and disaster response services, as specified. Existing law requires the Governor to coordinate the State Emergency Plan and those programs necessary for the mitigation of the effects of an emergency. Existing law requires the governing body of each political subdivision of the state to carry out the provisions of the State Emergency Plan. Existing law requires a county, upon the next update to its emergency plan, to integrate access and functional needs into its emergency plan, among other requirements. Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health and sets forth its powers and duties pertaining to, among other things, protecting, preserving, and advancing public health. This bill would require the department to develop a plan, addressing specified issues, with recommendations and guidelines for counties to use in the case of a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources. The bill would require the department to consult with specified stakeholders in developing the plan. This bill would require a county, in advance of its next emergency plan update, to use the air quality plan developed by the department and develop a county-specific plan that addresses all of the recommendations and guidelines of the department's air quality plan, as specified. By increasing county duties, 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.