Asm. Gail Pellerin

Existing law, the California Community Care Facilities Act, provides for the licensing and regulation of community care facilities, including short-term residential therapeutic programs, by the State Department of Social Services. The act defines a short-term residential therapeutic program as a residential facility licensed by the department and operated by any public agency or private organization that provides an integrated program of specialized and intensive care and supervision, services and supports, treatment, and short-term, 24-hour care and supervision to children that is trauma-informed. Existing law requires specified facilities, including community care facilities, to conduct a clinical and quality review for each episode of the use of seclusion or behavioral restraints, as defined. Existing law requires the facility to conduct a debriefing regarding the incident with the person, and other specified individuals upon the person's request, to discuss how to avoid a similar incident in the future. Under existing law, the person's participation in the debriefing is voluntary. This bill, The Accountability in Children's Treatment Act, would require, in the case of an incident involving the use of seclusion or behavioral restraints in a short-term residential therapeutic program, the facility to notify any foster child who has been subject to seclusion or behavioral restraints of their personal rights by no later than the day following the incident and to provide, within 7 days, a description of the incident, in both oral and written forms, to the person subject to the seclusion or behavioral restraints and, as applicable, to the person's parent, foster parent, guardian, Indian custodian, or other authorized representative, and attorney, if any, and for Indian children, the tribal representative. The bill would require that the description contain certain information, including the actions taken during the incident and its duration, the rationale for the actions, and the personnel approving and implementing the actions. The bill would require the facility to provide a copy of the written description to the department, also within 7 days. The bill would require the department to review all reported incidents involving the use of seclusion or behavioral restraints and to investigate any incidents that indicate a potential health and safety concern or licensing violation. As part of the assessment to determine if an investigation is required, the bill would require the department to determine whether the use of seclusion or behavioral restraints potentially violated any licensing laws and regulations or violated the licensee's approved emergency intervention plan. If the department determines that an incident should be investigated, the bill would require the department to provide the Office of the State Foster Care Ombudsperson with a copy of the incident report and require the ombudsperson to exercise their discretion in determining whether to investigate the incident, as specified. Existing law requires the Secretary of California Health and Human Services or their designee to take steps to establish a system of mandatory, consistent, timely, and publicly accessible data collection regarding the use of seclusion and behavioral restraints in specified facilities, including community care facilities, that utilize seclusion and behavioral restraints. Existing law requires that data collected include, among other information, the number of incidents, the duration of time spent per incident, and the number of serious injuries or deaths occurring while the person is in seclusion or subject to behavioral restraints. Existing law requires the secretary to develop a mechanism for making this information, as it becomes available, publicly available on the internet. Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services and other specified departments to annually provide information to the Legislature about the progress made in implementing the above-described provisions on data collection, clinical and quality review, and debriefing. This bill would require the State Department of Social Services, by January 1, 2026, to display, on its internet website, data that is specific to short-term residential therapeutic programs. The bill would require the dashboard to display the above-described data on seclusion or behavioral restraints as applicable to those programs, the above-described written descriptions of the incidents, and the numbers and types of licensing and administrative actions taken for the improper use of seclusion or behavioral restraints by the short-term residential therapeutic program or an associated individual for the improper use of seclusion or behavioral restraints. The bill would require the department to update the information biannually. Under the bill, this data would exclude any personally identifiable information, as specified, and the provisions of the bill would be implemented to the extent not in conflict with any applicable federal or state privacy laws.

Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission to develop, publish, and annually update a report containing specified information, including the commission's annual work plan, performance criteria for the commission and its executive director, an accounting of the commission's transactions and proceedings from the prior year, a description of activities taken and processes instituted to solicit the input of customers from diverse regions of the state in ratesetting and quasi-legislative proceedings, a list of its public meetings held outside San Francisco in the previous year, a schedule of its meetings anticipated to be held outside San Francisco during the coming year, and a summary of deenergization event trends and the effect of deenergization events on telecommunications service and public safety, as specified. Existing law requires the commission to post the report in a conspicuous area of its internet website. This bill would require the report to also contain a description of the audits and inspections conducted to ensure compliance with the commission's backup electricity rules for providers of telecommunications service, including, but not limited to, the total number of violations identified by the commission in the prior year, aggregated by company, and a summary of enforcement actions taken for those violations.

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 by, and funded pursuant to, federal Medicaid program provisions. Under existing law, incontinence medical supplies are covered by the Medi-Cal program. This bill would establish diapers as a covered Medi-Cal benefit for a child greater than 3 years of age who has been diagnosed with a condition, as specified, that contributes to incontinence, and for an individual under 21 years of age if necessary to correct or ameliorate a condition pursuant to certain federal standards. The bill would limit the provided diapers to an appropriate supply based on the diagnosed condition and the age of the Medi-Cal beneficiary. The bill would require the department to seek any necessary federal approvals to implement these provisions. The bill would condition implementation of these provisions on receipt of any necessary federal approvals, the availability of federal financial participation, and an appropriation by the Legislature.

Existing law authorizes the operation of an autonomous vehicle on public roads for testing purposes by a driver who possesses the proper class of license for the type of vehicle operated if specified requirements are satisfied. Existing law prohibits the operation of an autonomous vehicle on public roads until the manufacturer submits an application to the Department of Motor Vehicles, as specified, and that application is approved. This bill would require a manufacturer of an autonomous vehicle to report to the department a collision on a public road that involved one of its autonomous vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 10,001 pounds or more that is operating under a testing or deployment permit that resulted in damage of property, bodily injury, or death within 10 days of the collision. The bill would require a manufacturer of an autonomous vehicle to annually submit to the department specified information regarding the deactivation of the autonomous mode for its autonomous vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 10,001 pounds or more that were operating under a testing or deployment permit that authorized the vehicle to operate on public roads. The bill would prohibit the operation of an autonomous vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of 10,001 pounds or more on public roads for testing purposes, transporting goods, or transporting passengers without a human safety operator physically present in the autonomous vehicle at the time of operation. The bill would require the Department of Motor Vehicles, by January 1, 2030, or 5 years after commencement of testing, whichever occurs later, and upon appropriation by the Legislature, to submit a report to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature evaluating the performance of autonomous vehicle technology and its impact on public safety and employment in the transportation sector for autonomous vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 10,001 pounds or more. The bill would require the Department of the California Highway Patrol, the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, the Department of Transportation, the State Air Resources Board, and other relevant state agencies to provide additional information needed to research the report.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state, under the administration of community college district governing boards, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction at the community college campuses they operate. Existing law establishes a statewide baccalaureate degree program that authorizes up to a total of 30 baccalaureate degree programs at community college districts to be approved per academic year, as provided. This bill would require the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to develop a Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing Pilot Program that authorizes select community college districts to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. The bill would limit the pilot program to 10 community college districts statewide and would require the chancellor's office to identify and select eligible community college districts based on specified criteria. The bill would require the chancellor's office to develop a process designed to assist community college districts with nursing programs that are applying for national accreditation for the purpose of qualifying for the pilot program, as provided. The bill would require each participating community college district to give priority registration for enrollment in the pilot program to students with an associate degree in nursing from that community college district. The bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to conduct an evaluation of the pilot program to determine the effectiveness of the program and the need to continue or expand the program, as specified, to be submitted to the Legislature on or before July 1, 2032. The bill would repeal these provisions as of January 1, 2034.

(1) Existing law authorizes the administrator of a high school to appoint one or more pupils who are enrolled at that high school to be voter outreach coordinators, as provided. This bill would specify that the administrator of a public or private high school may appoint one or more pupils who are enrolled at that high school to be voter outreach coordinators, as provided. (2) Existing law declares the last two full weeks in April and the last two full weeks in September as "high school voter education weeks," during which time persons authorized by the county elections official are allowed to register students and school personnel on any high school campus, as provided. Existing law establishes the California School for the Deaf, Northern California, the California School for the Deaf, Southern California, and the California School for the Blind, known as the state special schools, under the administration of the State Department of Education, as provided. This bill would, commencing with the 2026–27 school year, require the governing board of a school district, a county board of education, a state special school, and the governing body of a charter school to ensure that each of its pupils receives, at least once before the pupil completes grade 11, information on how to properly preregister to vote, as provided. The bill would also require those educational entities to ensure that, upon request of a pupil or a pupil's parent or guardian, information regarding where to acquire a paper copy of a voter registration card is provided to that pupil, such as a referral to the Secretary of State's internet website. To the extent that this bill would create new duties for local educational agencies or local officials, it would constitute a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize those educational entities to contract with a third-party nonprofit organization, with demonstrated experience providing nonpartisan youth civic engagement, to implement the requirements of this provision. (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, 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, the California Child Day Care Facilities Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of child daycare facilities by the State Department of Social Services. For purposes of the act, a child daycare facility includes a daycare center and a family daycare home, defined as a facility that regularly provides care, protection, and supervision for 14 or fewer children, in the provider's own home, for periods of less than 24 hours per day. Under existing law, a violation of the act is a crime. Existing law, the Swimming Pool Safety Act, among other requirements, requires a pool or spa to be equipped with at least 2 of 7 specified drowning prevention safety features when a building permit is issued for (1) the construction of a new swimming pool or spa or (2) the remodeling of an existing pool or spa at a private single-family home, except as provided. Existing law requires the 7 safety features to include, among others, an enclosure isolating the swimming pool from the home, a removable mesh fencing around the swimming pool with a self-closing and self-latching gate, a safety pool cover, and an alarm that sounds upon an accidental or unauthorized entrance into the water. Existing law exempts certain facilities regulated by the State Department of Social Services from the requirements of the Swimming Pool Safety Act. This bill would repeal this exemption, making certain facilities regulated by the department subject to the Swimming Pool Safety Act, except as provided. The bill would require a licensed family daycare home operated at a private single-family dwelling with an in-ground swimming pool to have specified drowning safety features, including an enclosure and a cover or alarm, that meet specified standards. The bill would require a licensed daycare center with an in-ground swimming pool to have either a mesh fence, enclosure, or, if the pool is indoors, a self-closing door, as specified, and a 2nd, redundant feature that prevents children in the daycare center from entering the pool area unattended. The bill would also require safety equipment meeting certain specifications to be visible from the swimming pool and readily available for immediate use. The bill would require the licensees to perform a daily inspection of the safety features and safety equipment and maintain a log to be provided to the department upon request. The bill would require the department to by January 1, 2027, adopt regulations regarding bodies of water at daycare facilities regulated by the department and would require the department to prescribe drowning safety standards governing all swimming pools and bodies of water located at facilities regulated by the department. The bill would authorize the department to implement the changes by written directives until January 1, 2027. Because a willful or repeated violation of these provisions by a child daycare facility would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law requires a local building code official to, before the issuance of a final approval for the completion of permitted construction or remodeling work, inspect the drowning safety prevention features for compliance with the Swimming Pool Safety Act. By imposing additional duties on local officials relating to previously exempted pool or spa facilities, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 115922 of the Health and Safety Code proposed by SB 552 to be operative only if this bill and SB 552 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Existing law grants pupils, parents, and guardians certain rights regarding the delivery of educational services, including, among others, rights regarding primary supplemental instruction materials. Existing law provides that none of these rights shall be construed as restricting teachers in the assignment of homework. This bill, the Healthy Homework Act, would encourage each school district, county office of education, and charter school to (1) develop a homework policy for all grades maintained by the local educational agency, as specified, by the start of the 2027–28 school year, (2) formally adopt a final homework policy by the start of the 2028–29 school year, and (3) update the adopted homework policy at least once every 5 years, as provided. The bill would, among other things, encourage the local educational agency to annually distribute the adopted or updated homework policy at the beginning of the school year to all certificated staff and administrators, to all pupils and parents or legal guardians, as specified, and by publication on the local educational agency's internet website and on the internet websites of the individual schools operated by the local educational agency. For a local educational agency that formally adopted a homework policy on or before July 31, 2024, the bill would encourage the local educational agency to update its adopted homework policy before the start of the 2028–29 school year or within 5 years of its adoption, whichever is later, and would encourage the local educational agency's updated homework policy to be consistent with the bill's provisions. The bill would authorize the State Department of Education to develop and post on its internet website, guidelines for local educational agencies to use in developing the homework policy, as provided, and would encourage those guidelines to be developed and posted by January 1, 2026.

Existing law establishes the state flag and the state's emblems, including, among other things, the golden poppy as the official state flower, the California redwood as the official state tree, and the California gray whale as the official state marine mammal. This bill would establish the Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister) as the official state crustacean. The bill would also make related findings and declarations.

Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975 (hereafter the act) , 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 requires the records, books, and papers of a health care service plan and other specified entities to be open to inspection by the director of the department during normal business hours. This bill would instead require the records, books, and papers of a health care service plan and other specified entities to be open to inspection by the director, including through electronic means. The bill would require a plan and other specified entities to furnish in electronic media records, books, and papers that are possessed in electronic media and to conduct a diligent review of records, books, and papers and make every effort to furnish those responsive to the director's request. The bill would require records, books, and papers to be furnished in a format that is digitally searchable, to the greatest extent feasible. The bill would require records, books, and papers to be preserved until furnished, if requested by the department. The bill would authorize the director to inspect and copy these records, books, and papers, and to seek relief in an administrative law proceeding if, in the director's determination, a plan or other specified entity fails to fully or timely respond to a duly authorized request for production of records, books, and papers. Because a willful violation of these requirements would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law requires the department to conduct periodically an onsite medical survey of the health delivery system of each plan. Existing law requires the director to publicly report survey results no later than 180 days following the completion of the survey, and requires a final report to be issued after public review of the survey. Existing law requires the department to conduct a followup review to determine and report on the status of the plan's efforts to correct deficiencies no later than 18 months following release of the final report. This bill would state that nothing in those provisions prohibits the director from taking any action permitted or required under the act in response to the survey results before the followup review is initiated or completed, including, but not limited to, taking enforcement actions and opening further investigations. The bill would declare that these provisions are declaratory of and clarify existing law with regard to the director's enforcement authority. Existing law enumerates acts or omissions by a health care service plan that constitute grounds for disciplinary action by the director. This bill would add to those enumerated acts or omissions the failure by a health care service plan to respond fully or timely, or both, to a duly authorized request for production of records. 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.