Existing law, the Mental Health Services Act, an initiative measure enacted by the voters as Proposition 63 at the November 2, 2004, statewide general election, establishes the continuously appropriated Mental Health Services Fund to fund various county mental health programs. The act provides that it may be amended by the Legislature by a 23 vote of each house as long as the amendment is consistent with and furthers the intent of the act, and that the Legislature may clarify procedures and terms of the act by majority vote. Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income persons receive health care benefits. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid provisions. Existing law provides for a schedule of benefits under the Medi-Cal program and provides for specified services, including various mental health services. Existing federal law, the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014, requires the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services to, among other things, no later than September 1, 2017, select from among those states awarded a planning grant, the states that may participate in a time-limited demonstration program that is designed to improve access to community mental health and substance use treatment services provided by certified community behavioral health clinics. This bill would require the department to develop a proposal for the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services to be selected as a participating state in the time-limited demonstration program described above to receive enhanced federal matching funds for mental health services provided by certified community behavioral health clinics to Medi-Cal beneficiaries. The bill would appropriate $1,000,000 from the Mental Health Services Act Fund to the State Department of Health Care Services to develop that proposal. The bill would make findings and declarations of the Legislature, including that the changes the bill would make are consistent with and further the intent of the act. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Sponsored bills
This measure would declare April 7, 2016, and every April 7 thereafter, as Biotechnology Day in California.
Existing law allows the State Board of Equalization, when requested by the legislative body of any county, city, or city and county or the assessor to render advisory or other service, to contract, at not less than cost and subject to regulations approved by the Director of General Services, to render such services. This bill would provide that those services include the collection and remittance to a legislative body of any county, city, or city and county of a tax imposed by that legislative body.
Existing law defines a "personal vehicle sharing program" as a legal entity qualified to do business in the State of California engaged in the business of facilitating the sharing of private passenger motor vehicles for noncommercial use by individuals within the state. Existing law requires the personal vehicle sharing program to facilitate the installation, operation, and maintenance of computer hardware and software and signage necessary for a private passenger motor vehicle to be used in a personal vehicle sharing program, including payment of the cost of damage or theft of that equipment and any damage caused to the vehicle by the installation, operation, and maintenance of that equipment. This bill would delete the above-described requirements. Existing law requires the personal vehicle sharing program to be liable for a loss or injury that occurs during any time period when the private passenger motor vehicle is under the operation and control of a person, other than the vehicle owner, pursuant to a personal vehicle sharing program, or otherwise under the control of a personal vehicle sharing program. A personal vehicle sharing program continues to be liable until specified events occur, including, but not limited to, that the private passenger motor vehicle is returned to a location designated by the personal vehicle sharing program. This bill would instead require that one of the triggering events be that the private passenger motor vehicle is returned to the location designated and agreed to by both the vehicle owner and the user of the vehicle, consistent with the terms and policies of the personal vehicle sharing program.
This measure would proclaim February 14, 2016, as V-Day to encourage all Californians to become more aware about and prevent violence against women.
This measure would declare May 18, 2016, as the 28th Annual State Scientist Day, as a tribute to the dedication and professionalism of the state scientists who work on behalf of all the residents of California.