Asm. Mark Stone

This measure would recognize May 2018 as National Mental Health Awareness Month in California to enhance public awareness of mental illness.

The Personal Income Tax Law, beginning on or after January 1, 2015, in modified conformity with federal income tax laws, allows an earned income tax credit against personal income tax and a payment from the Tax Relief and Refund Account for an allowable credit in excess of tax liability, to an eligible individual that is equal to that portion of the earned income tax credit allowed by federal law as determined by the earned income tax credit adjustment factor, as specified. An "eligible individual" is defined to include specified individuals, and provides that, if a person does not have a qualifying child, he or she must be between 25 and 65 years of age at the end of the taxable year. Additionally existing law, in conformity with federal income tax laws, requires the taxpayer and the qualifying child to have a social security number to be eligible for the credit. This bill, for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2019, would revise the age requirement for the definition of an "eligible individual," with regard to persons who do not have a qualifying child, to require solely that the person must have attained 18 years of age. The bill, for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2019, would require the taxpayer and the qualifying child to have a social security number or a federal individual taxpayer identification number in order to be eligible for the earned income tax credit. Existing law establishes the continuously appropriated Tax Relief and Refund Account and provides that payments required to be made to taxpayers or other persons from the Personal Income Tax Fund are to be paid from that account, including any amount to be paid as an earned income tax credit in excess of any tax liabilities. This bill, for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2019, would authorize new payments from that account, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for additional amounts in excess of personal income tax liabilities. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

Existing federal law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , enacted various health care coverage market reforms that took effect January 1, 2014. PPACA required each state, by January 1, 2014, to establish an American Health Benefit Exchange to facilitate the purchase of qualified health benefit plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers. PPACA defines a "qualified health plan" as a plan that, among other requirements, provides an essential health benefits package. Existing state law creates the California Health Benefit Exchange, also known as Covered California, to facilitate the purchase of qualified health plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers. Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975 (Knox-Keene) , provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, 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. This bill would create the California Health Care Cost, Quality, and Equity Commission, an independent state agency, to control in-state health care costs and set the amounts accepted as payment by health plans, hospitals, physicians, physician groups, and other health care providers, among other things. The bill would provide that funding for the commission would be provided from the Managed Care Fund and the Insurance Fund, subject to appropriation by the Legislature. The bill would provide that the commission would have 11 paid members, including the Secretary of California Health and Human Services or his or her designee, a CalPERS representative, and 9 members with specified experience appointed to staggered 6-year terms by the Governor, Senate Committee on Rules, and Speaker of the Assembly, as specified. The bill would require the commission to convene an advisory committee to meet at least quarterly with 19 volunteer members, including, but not limited to, a representative of a licensed health facility and a representative of CalPERS. This bill would provide the powers of the commission, including authorization to adopt regulations and employ necessary staff, and would require the commission to meet at least quarterly and prepare a written report annually, as specified. The bill would require the commission, beginning July 1, 2019, to annually determine the base amounts that health care entities, as defined, are required to accept as full payment for health care services, and would specify that the base amount for a health care provider shall be a percentage of Medicare rates not lower than 100% of Medicare rates. The bill would permit a health care service plan or health insurer to negotiate a contracted rate that is not based on Medicare rates. The bill would exempt noncontracting physicians and other noncontracting health professionals, as defined, from the base amounts until health care service plans and health insurers provide information on average contracted amounts to the commission and the commission sets a base amount for noncontracting physicians and other noncontracting health professionals. The bill would require the commission, on or before July 1, 2019, to establish an appeal process to consider adjustments to the base amounts to be paid to health care entities, and would require the commission to consider specified factors during an appeal. The bill would require the commission to adopt regulations to establish the Purchaser Participation Program on or before July 1, 2019, to allow the commission's executive director to award reasonable fees, not to exceed $400,000 annually, to an organization that represents purchasers' or consumers' interests and made a substantial contribution to a regulation, order, or decision, as specified. The bill would require the commission to obtain the information necessary to determine total health care expenditures and to set a global growth cap for total health care expenditures, as specified. This bill would require the commission to estimate the cost savings to the General Fund from lower health care costs paid by public employers because of this bill, and require the Department of Finance to estimate the cost to increase reimbursement rates, as specified, and estimate how much of those costs could be paid using the estimated cost savings to the General Fund. The bill would express the intent of the Legislature to transfer that cost savings, upon appropriation, to programs that recruit and retain health professionals in underserved areas, as specified. This bill would exempt a Medi-Cal managed health care plan or individuals receiving coverage through Medicare or another federal health program from the bill's provisions. The bill would prohibit a health care provider from billing or collecting an amount other than the applicable cost sharing from an individual, and would provide that an individual would not owe a health care provider an amount other than that applicable cost sharing. This bill would require all information to be submitted electronically to the commission to facilitate public disclosure, but would provide that specified information be kept confidential. 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.

This measure would declare the support of the Legislature for the expansion of sensory-friendly movie screenings and similar programs for people with autism, and would encourage families to attend a sensory-friendly movie screening during April 2018, which is National Autism Awareness Month.

This measure would, among other things, designate the year 2018 as "State of California Year of Commemoration of the Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923," would designate April 24, 2018, as "State of California Day of Commemoration of the 103rd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923," and would call upon the President of the United States and the United States Congress to formally and consistently reaffirm the historical truth that the atrocities committed against the Armenian people constituted genocide.

This measure would proclaim April 16, 2018, as California Holocaust Memorial Day and would urge all Californians to observe this day of remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust in an appropriate manner.

This measure would recognize September 20, 2018, and every year on that date thereafter, as California Surfing Day to celebrate the California surfing lifestyle, would commend all those who honor the history, culture, and future of surfing, as well as the sport of surfing and the protection of our beach and ocean environments, would express support for future surfers and encourage potential surfing Olympians to work diligently, and would encourage all Californians to enjoy California Surfing Day.