Asm. Dan Logue

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, including certain dental services, as specified. Existing law provides that, to the extent that federal financial participation is available, face-to-face contact between a health care provider and a patient is not required under the Medi-Cal program for "teleophthalmology and teledermatology by store and forward," as defined to mean the asynchronous transmission of medical information to be reviewed at a later time by a licensed physician or optometrist, as specified, at a distant site. This bill would enact similar provisions relating to the use of teledentistry, as defined, under the Medi-Cal program. The bill would provide that, to the extent that federal financial participation is available, face-to-face contact between a health care provider and a patient shall not be required under the Medi-Cal program for "teledentistry by store and forward." The bill would define that term to mean an asynchronous transmission of dental information to be reviewed at a later time by a licensed dentist at a distant site, where the dentist at the distant site reviews the dental information without the patient being present in real time, as defined and as specified. The bill would also provide that dentist participation in services provided at an intermittent clinic, as defined, through the use of telehealth, as defined, shall be considered a billable encounter under Medi-Cal. The bill would also require, on or before January 1, 2017, the department to report to the Legislature the number and type of services provided, and the payments made related to the application of teledentistry, as specified.

Existing law establishes the Dental Board of California within the Department of Consumer Affairs and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the licensing, certification, and regulation of the dental profession. This bill would require the board, upon the presentation of evidence by an applicant for licensure or certification, to accept education, training, and practical experience completed by an applicant in military service toward the qualifications and requirements to receive a license or certificate if that education, training, or experience is equivalent to the standards of the board. If a board accredits or otherwise approves schools offering educational course credit for meeting licensing and certification qualifications and requirements, the bill would, not later than July 1, 2014, require those schools seeking accreditation or approval to have procedures in place to evaluate an applicant's military education, training, and practical experience toward the completion of an educational program that would qualify a person to apply for licensure or certification, as specified. Under existing law, the Department of Veterans Affairs has specified powers and duties relating to various programs serving veterans. This bill would, require the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide technical assistance to the board and to the director of consumer affairs with respect to complying with the bill's requirements and obtaining specified funds to support compliance with these provisions.

Existing law generally designates the State Air Resources Board as the state agency with the primary responsibility for the control of vehicular air pollution, and air pollution control districts and air quality management districts with the primary responsibility for the control of air pollution from all sources other than vehicular sources. The law requires the state board to adopt standards, rules, and regulations necessary to carry out its duties, including administering the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 and implementing the federal Clean Air Act. The law requires the state board to make available to the public certain information related to air quality and its impacts before the comment period for any regulation proposed for adoption by the state board. This bill would also require the state board to make available to the public all data sets upon which the state board relies in its research and adoption of these regulations. The bill would also correct an erroneous cross-reference.

Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of various healing arts professions and vocations by boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law requires the rules and regulations of these healing arts boards to provide for methods of evaluating education, training, and experience obtained in military service if such training is applicable to the requirements of the particular profession or vocation regulated by the board. Under existing law, specified other healing arts professions and vocations are licensed or certified and regulated by the State Department of Public Health. In some instances, a board with the Department of Consumer Affairs or the State Department of Public Health approves schools offering educational course credit for meeting licensing or certification qualifications and requirements. This bill would require the State Department of Public Health, upon the presentation of evidence by an applicant for licensure or certification, to accept education, training, and practical experience completed by an applicant in military service toward the qualifications and requirements to receive a license or certificate for specified professions and vocations if that education, training, or experience is equivalent to the standards of the department. If a board within the Department of Consumer Affairs or the State Department of Public Health accredits or otherwise approves schools offering educational course credit for meeting licensing and certification qualifications and requirements, the bill would, not later than January 1, 2015, require those schools seeking accreditation or approval to have procedures in place to evaluate an applicant's military education, training, and practical experience toward the completion of an educational program that would qualify a person to apply for licensure or certification, as specified. Under existing law, the Department of Veterans Affairs has specified powers and duties relating to various programs serving veterans. Under existing law, the Chancellor of the California State University and the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges have specified powers and duties relating to statewide health education programs. With respect to complying with the bill's requirements and obtaining specified funds to support compliance with these provisions, this bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Chancellor of the California State University, and the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to provide technical assistance to the healing arts boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs, the State Department of Public Health, and to the schools offering, or seeking to offer, educational course credit for meeting licensing qualifications and requirements.

Existing law makes a person who engages in unfair competition, as defined, liable for civil penalties. Existing law requires a court, in assessing the amount of the civil penalty, to consider one or more of specified relevant circumstances presented by any of the parties to the case. This bill would additionally require the court, prior to the imposition of any civil penalty, to consider all factors in mitigation of both the imposition and amount of any civil penalty.

Existing law establishes a variety of offenses relating to cruelty to animals. Existing law generally provides that a person that violates certain animal at-large provisions is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction is required to be punished by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000, by imprisonment of not less than 10 days nor more than 1 year, or by both the fine and imprisonment, as prescribed. This bill would require any person, with certain exceptions, who willfully or knowingly documents evidence of animal cruelty to provide a copy of the documentary evidence obtained to local law enforcement within 120 hours of documentation, and would make a violation of this requirement an infraction punishable by a fine of $250. The bill would provide that a person shall not be civilly or criminally liable for providing documentary evidence of suspected animal cruelty as required by the bill, or for providing a law enforcement agency with information about the person or employer suspected of animal cruelty. The bill would define animal cruelty for its purposes as any act involving an animal, as defined, or poultry, as defined, described in prescribed criminal offenses. The bill would enact other related provisions. Because a violation of the requirement to provide a copy of documentary evidence of animal cruelty to local law enforcement, as prescribed, would be an infraction, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program by creating a new crime. 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.

Under existing law, Barry Keene Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Trust Fund Act of 1989, every owner of an underground storage tank is required to pay a storage fee for each gallon of petroleum placed in the tank. The fees are required to be deposited in the Underground Storage Tank Cleanup Fund. The money in the fund may be expended by the State Water Resources Control Board, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for various purposes, including the payment of claims of up to $1,500,000 per occurrence, as defined, to aid owners and operators of petroleum underground storage tanks who take corrective action to clean up unauthorized releases from those tanks and the payment of claims for certain 3rd-party injuries and damages. Existing law requires the board to pay a claim for the costs of corrective action to a person who owns property on which is located a release from a petroleum underground storage tank that has been the subject of a corrective action, and for which additional corrective action is required because of additionally discovered contamination from the previous release, if the person who carried out the earlier and completed corrective action was eligible for, and applied for, reimbursement pursuant to specified provisions, only to the extent that the amount of reimbursement for the earlier corrective action did not exceed the amount of $1,500,000. This bill would additionally impose as a requirement for that reimbursement that the subject tank has been removed. The bill would also require the board to pay a claim for the costs of corrective action to a person who owns property on which is located a release from a petroleum underground storage tank that has been removed if the site has been the subject of a corrective action, additional corrective action is required because of additionally discovered contamination from the previous release, the person who owns the property meets specified requirements and is required to perform corrective action pursuant to those provisions because of additionally discovered contamination, and the person who carried out the earlier and completed corrective action did not apply for reimbursement, as prescribed. This bill would become operative only if legislation is enacted in the 2013–14 Regular Session and becomes operative that extends the January 1, 2014, reversion date in a specified provision of the Health and Safety Code to a date that is after January 1, 2014, relative to petroleum underground storage tank fees.

Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools operated by local educational agencies throughout the state. Existing law also establishes a system of public postsecondary education in this state that includes 3 segments: the California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California. This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to establish a pilot program with the goal of establishing a coordinated curriculum that enables students, including, but not necessarily limited to, students who have earned college course credit through concurrent enrollment in high school and community college, to earn a baccalaureate degree from a participating University of California campus within 3 years of graduating from a secondary school, at a total cost to the student that does not exceed $20,000, excluding the cost of instructional materials and mandatory campus-based fees. The bill would authorize the University of California to establish a Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program that includes any campus of the University of California, any campus of the California Community Colleges that volunteers to participate, and any secondary educational institution that volunteers to participate. The bill would place specified conditions on the operation of the pilot program.

The California Constitution requires that a bill be read by title 3 times in each house or a bill with amendments be printed and distributed to the Members of each house before it may be passed. This bill would provide that a vote shall not be taken in either house of the Legislature on the Budget Bill or any other bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill, as defined in the Constitution, until the bill has been made available to the public for 3 days on a publicly available Internet Web site.