Asm. Eduardo Garcia

Maddy summaryThis House Resolution expresses the California Assembly's support for federal immigration reform known as the Registry bills. The document states that these proposed laws would allow undocumented individuals who have lived in the United States for at least seven years to apply for legal permanent residency. It highlights that California has a large immigrant population and argues that updating federal immigration laws would benefit the state's economy and workforce. The resolution serves as a formal endorsement of the concept rather than creating new laws itself.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates the week of October 6 through October 12, 2024, as National 4-H Week throughout California. It directly affects the nearly 6 million young people participating in the 4-H youth development program and the volunteers who support them. The resolution formally recognizes the organization's role in fostering leadership skills and encourages the celebration of 4-H's contributions to health, science, and civic engagement during that specific week.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates September 2024 as Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month in California to highlight the disease's impact, particularly on African American communities. It encourages the state to allocate funds for outreach, education, research, and treatment while also calling for the development of chronic kidney disease screening programs with genetic testing referrals. The resolution aims to raise public knowledge about the condition and support better care outcomes for those affected.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates specific periods in 2024 as Boat People Awareness Week and Month to honor Vietnamese refugees who fled their country by sea after the Vietnam War. The resolution highlights the historical hardships these individuals faced, including dangerous voyages and high mortality rates, while acknowledging their significant contributions to communities across California. It does not create new laws or funding but serves as a commemorative measure to recognize the resilience and spirit of the Vietnamese refugee community. The text is intended to be shared with the bill's author for public distribution to raise awareness about this historical event.

Maddy summaryThis bill recognizes August 15, 2024, as India's Independence Day and encourages all Californians to participate in celebrations honoring the occasion. It directly affects the residents of California, particularly the state's large Indian American community, by formally acknowledging the historical significance of the date when India gained independence from British rule. The measure does not create new laws or change government operations; instead, it serves as a symbolic gesture to highlight the cultural contributions of Indian Americans and the shared values of democracy and nonviolence between the two nations.

This measure would declare the month of June 2024 to be Portuguese Heritage Month and would recognize June 10 as the Day of Portugal and May 20 as the Day of the Azores.

Maddy summaryThis bill officially recognizes June 21, 2024, as the 2024 International Day of Yoga within the state of California. It does not create new laws or change existing regulations but serves as a formal acknowledgment of the global event. The measure is intended to highlight the history and benefits of yoga as a wellness practice.

This measure would designate the week of June 23, 2024, to June 29, 2024, inclusive, and every third week of June thereafter, as Roadside Assistance Worker Appreciation Week.

Existing law establishes the California Border Environmental and Public Health Protection Fund in the State Treasury to receive funds appropriated in the annual Budget Act, including, but not limited to, proceeds of bonds sold as specified, and other sources, such as from the North American Development Bank (NADBank) , and makes money in the fund available, upon appropriation, to the California-Mexico Border Relations Council, a state entity. Money in the fund is used to assist local governments in implementation of projects to identify and resolve environmental and public health problems that directly threaten the health or environmental quality of California residents or sensitive natural resources of the California border region, among other purposes. This bill would authorize, upon appropriation by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another statute, funds to be made available to the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) for NADBank for loans, grants, and direct expenditures to address water quality problems arising in the California-Mexico cross-border watersheds. The bill would require the funding to be available for specified purposes, as provided, including water quality projects for the Tijuana River, and would make 10% of the funding available for the administrative costs of implementing these provisions. The bill would authorize funding provided for activities or projects in the State of Baja California to be provided through direct expenditures and for grants to an eligible funding recipient authorized to work in Mexico under a specified circumstance. The bill would require grant funding to be conditioned upon the enforceability and accountability requirements mutually agreed upon by CalEPA and NADBank, and would authorize CalEPA to withhold funding if the requirements of the applicable funding agreement are not met. The bill would also authorize grant funding to be conditioned on enforceability and accountability mechanisms agreed upon by CalEPA, NADBank, and the recipient. The bill would require CalEPA to notify the leadership office in each house of the Legislature on cross-border collaboration and the expenditure of the funding, as provided. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the North American Development Bank.

Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, 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 provides for the regulation of disability insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law establishes the Independent Medical Review System within each department, under which an enrollee or insured may seek review if a health care service has been denied, modified, or delayed by a health care service plan or disability insurer and the enrollee or insured has previously filed a grievance that remains unresolved after 30 days. This bill, commencing January 1, 2026, would require a health care service plan or a disability insurer that upholds its decision to modify, delay, or deny a health care service in response to a grievance or has a grievance that is otherwise pending or unresolved upon expiration of the relevant timeframe to automatically submit within 24 hours a decision regarding a disputed health care service to the Independent Medical Review System, as well as the information that informed its decision, if the decision is to deny, modify, or delay specified services relating to mental health or substance use disorder conditions for an enrollee or insured up to 26 years of age. The bill would require a health care service plan or disability insurer, within 24 hours after submitting its decision to the Independent Medical Review System to provide notice to the appropriate department, the enrollee or insured or their representative, if any, and the enrollee's or insured's provider. The bill would require the notice to include notification to the enrollee or insured that they or their representative may cancel the independent medical review at any time before a determination, as specified. This bill, commencing January 1, 2026, would require a health care service plan or disability insurer that provides coverage for mental health or substance use disorders to treat a modification, delay, or denial issued in response to an authorization request for coverage of treatment for a mental health or substance use disorder for an insured up to 26 years of age as if the modification, delay, or denial is also a grievance submitted by the enrollee or insured. The bill would require a plan or insurer to provide a written acknowledgment of a grievance that is automatically generated and would specify the circumstances under which that grievance is required to be submitted automatically to independent medical review. The bill would apply specified existing provisions relating to mental health and substance use disorders for purposes of its provisions, and would be subject to relevant provisions relating to the Independent Medical Review System that do not otherwise conflict with the express requirements of the bill. With respect to health care service plans, the bill would specify that its provisions do not apply to Medi-Cal managed care plan contracts. The bill would authorize the Director of Managed Health Care and the Insurance Commissioner to promulgate regulations subject to the Administrative Procedure Act to implement and enforce the bill, and to issue interim guidance, as specified. Because a willful violation of this provision by a health care service plan 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.