Asm. Bob Blumenfield

Existing law defines human trafficking as the deprivation or violation of the personal liberty of another person with the intent to commit certain specified sex offenses with the person or to obtain forced labor or services, as specified. This bill would authorize real property used to facilitate the commission of that offense to be declared and treated as a nuisance, as specified.

(1) Existing law provides for the out-of-home placement of children who are unable to remain in the custody and care of their parent or parents, and provides for a range of child welfare, foster care, and adoption assistance services for which these children may be eligible. Existing federal law, the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, revises and expands federal programs and funding for certain foster and adopted children. Existing law, the California Community Care Facilities Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of community care facilities, including facilities that provide care for foster children, by the State Department of Social Services. A violation of these provisions is a misdemeanor. Existing law authorizes the placement of children with varying designations and varying needs in the same facility under specified circumstances. This bill would extend these provisions to also include nonminor dependents commencing January 1, 2012. The bill would define the term "nonminor dependent" and related terms for purposes of the bill. This bill, commencing no later than July 1, 2012, would require the department, in consultation with specified government and other entities, to revise regulations regarding health and safety standards for licensing foster family homes and community care facilities in which nonminor dependents of the juvenile court are placed under the responsibility of the county welfare or probation department or an Indian tribe that has entered into a specified agreement with the department. Under existing law, the California Community Care Facilities Act does not apply to designated categories of facilities, including, among others, the home of a relative caregiver or nonrelative extended family member of a child placed by a juvenile court, as specified. This bill would include, on and after January 1, 2012, a supervised independent living setting, and a THP-Plus-Foster Care placement, as established by the bill, for a nonminor dependent placed by the juvenile court on the list of facilities to which the act does not apply. The bill would require the department to convene a workgroup to establish a new rate structure for THP-Plus-Foster Care placements, and would require counties to submit to the department a plan setting forth how the county would provide for the THP-Plus-Foster Care program, as specified. By requiring counties to perform additional duties with respect to implementation of the THP-Plus-Foster Care program, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law establishes the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, which is permitted to adjudge certain children to be dependents of the court under certain circumstances. This bill would expand the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, effective January 1, 2012, to include a child who had been previously removed from the custody of his or her parent and placed in foster care, who was also declared a delinquent ward of the court, as specified. The bill would authorize a court to modify an existing order with respect to the delinquent ward under these circumstances and assert dependency jurisdiction, as specified. Existing law authorizes a juvenile court to retain jurisdiction over any person who is found to be a dependent child of the juvenile court until the ward or dependent child attains 21 years of age. Existing law places certain minors for whom a guardianship has been established within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court. This bill would expand the court's jurisdiction to include, on and after January 1, 2012, a nonminor dependent who is receiving specified kinship guardian assistance payments. This bill would extend the court's jurisdiction to a ward who has been placed into foster care or a dependent who reaches the age of majority before jurisdiction is terminated until the nonminor reaches 21 years of age. The bill, commencing January 1, 2012, would allow a nonminor who left foster care at or after the age of majority to petition the court to have dependency or delinquency jurisdiction resumed, in accordance with a provision of existing law. The bill would authorize a local entity to obtain specified background information regarding a nonminor who may be placed in a foster care setting with minor dependent children under these circumstances. By making various conforming changes in provisions relating to the duties of local agency employees in dependency and delinquency proceedings, this bill would create a state-mandated local program. (3) Existing law authorizes a social worker to place a child whom the court has ordered to be removed from his or her home into one of 7 designated placements, including the home of a noncustodial parent or the approved home of a relative. This bill would add to this list of approved placements, on and after January 1, 2012, a supervised independent living setting, as defined by the bill, for a nonminor dependent between 18 and 21 years of age. (4) Existing law authorizes a change in the placement of a child on an emergency basis due to the sudden unavailability of a foster caregiver. This bill, on and after January 1, 2012, would require, under these emergency circumstances, when a nonminor dependent is placed in the home of a relative or nonrelative, that the home be approved using the health and safety standards established by the department for the placement of nonminor dependents, as required by the bill. The bill would require the department, in consultation with specified stakeholders, to prepare for the implementation of these provisions by publishing all-county letters or similar instructions from the director, pending the adoption of emergency regulations, as specified. (5) Existing law requires the status of dependent children to be periodically reviewed, and requires the court to consider the safety of the child and make certain determinations. This bill similarly would require a status review for every nonminor dependent who is in foster care to be conducted pursuant to specified provisions. This bill, commencing January 1, 2012, would require the court to ensure that the child's transitional independent living case plan includes a plan for the child to meet one or more criteria that would allow the child to remain a nonminor dependent, and to ensure that the child has been informed of his or her right to seek the termination of dependency jurisdiction. This bill, on and after October 1, 2012, would authorize a court to continue jurisdiction over a nonminor dependent with a permanent plan of long-term foster care, and would designate the responsibilities of the court in this regard. (6) Existing law establishes procedures for a hearing to terminate the court's jurisdiction over a dependent child who has reached the age of majority. This bill would delete the existing hearing procedures as of January 1, 2012, and would set forth revised hearing requirements for determining whether to terminate or continue dependency jurisdiction. The bill would require the court to continue dependency jurisdiction for a child participating in certain educational or vocational activities. This bill would impose various duties on county welfare departments in connection with the hearing process, thereby creating a state-mandated local program. This bill would require a court to authorize a trial period of independence from foster care, as defined, when it terminates dependency jurisdiction over a nonminor dependent youth, as authorized by specified federal law. (7) Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to develop statewide standards for the Independent Living Program for emancipated foster youth, which is established and funded pursuant to federal law to assist these individuals in making the transition to self-sufficiency. Under existing law, the department is required to develop and adopt emergency regulations that counties are required to meet when administering the program, that are achievable within available resources. This bill would require the department to develop and adopt the Independent Living Program regulations on or before July 1, 2012, and would specify that the regulations be achievable within both available program resources and available federal funds for case management and case plan review provided for in the federal act. The bill would require the department, by a specified date, to review and develop modifications to the Independent Living Program to also serve the needs of nonminor dependent youth, as specified. (8) Existing law prohibits benefits under the CalWORKs program from being paid to or on behalf of any child who has attained 18 years of age, unless the child is engaged in specified educational or training activities. This bill, on and after January 1, 2012, also would authorize a nonminor dependent, as defined, to receive CalWORKs aid, as specified. (9) Existing law authorizes a child who is declared a ward or dependent child of the court who is 16 years of age or older, to retain specified cash resources and still remain eligible to receive public social services. This bill would apply this provision, on and after January 1, 2012, to a current or former dependent child or ward of the court between 18 and 21 years of age, who is participating in a transitional independent living case plan pursuant to the federal act. (10) Existing law, through the Kinship Guardianship Assistance Payment Program (Kin-GAP) , which is a part of the CalWORKs program, provides aid on behalf of eligible children who are placed in the home of a relative caretaker. The program is funded by state and county funding and available federal funds. Existing eligibility requirements for the Kin-GAP Program include a requirement that a child has been living with a relative for at least 12 consecutive months. This bill would reduce the above requirement to 6 months, consistent with federal law. To the extent that this would increase duties of counties administering the Kin-GAP program, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would revise the Kin-GAP Program, by repealing the existing program and enacting similar provisions, effective on the date that the Director of Social Services executes a declaration, as required by the bill, declaring that increased federal financial participation in the Emergency Contingency Fund for State TANF Programs is no longer available pursuant to the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (Public Law 111-5) , or subsequent federal legislation that maintains or extends increased federal financial participation to provide state-funded assistance for youth not eligible under the federally funded program and would require the state to exercise its option under specified federal law to establish a kinship guardianship assistance payment program, with components as set forth in the bill, for youth eligible for federal financial participation. This bill would require, as a condition of receiving payments under the revised Kin-GAP Program provisions, that a county welfare agency, probation department, or Indian tribe, as applicable, negotiate and enter into a written, binding kinship guardianship assistance agreement with the relative guardian of an eligible child, as prescribed. The bill also would specify the state's share of cost for the support and care of children eligible for Kin-GAP benefits. The bill would make related conforming changes. This bill, under the revised Kin-GAP Program provisions, also would require a county, at the time of the annual redetermination of state-funded Kin-GAP benefits, to determine whether a child was receiving federal AFDC-FC benefits before receiving Kin-GAP, while a dependent child or ward of the juvenile court. The bill would require the county to reassign these children to the county social worker for information regarding transition to the federal Kin-GAP program. By increasing county responsibilities, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (11) Existing law establishes the Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care (AFDC-FC) program, under which counties provide payments to foster care providers on behalf of qualified children in foster care. The program is funded by a combination of federal, state, and county funds. Under existing law, AFDC-FC benefits are available, with specified exceptions, on behalf of qualified children under 18 years of age. Existing law requires a county to annually redetermine AFDC-FC eligibility, as specified. This bill would require the department to amend its foster care state plan required under specified federal law, to extend AFDC-FC benefits, commencing January 1, 2012, to specified individuals up to 21 years of age, in accordance with a designated provision of federal law. The bill would repeal the existing annual redetermination requirement. This bill would extend AFDC-FC benefits to nonminor dependents, as specified, on and after January 1, 2012, including revising AFDC-FC rate provisions to apply to these individuals. This bill would require an annual review of a child's or nonminor's payment amount, as specified. The bill also would require a county to contribute to the cost of extending aid to eligible nonminor dependents who have reached 18 years of age and who are under the jurisdiction of the county, and to the cost of providing permanent placement services and administering the AFDC–FC program, as specified. The bill would provide that the county's total contribution for these purposes would not exceed the amount of savings realized by the county as a result of the implementation of the federally funded Kin-GAP Program. By expanding eligibility and duties under the county-administered AFDC-FC program, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (12) Under existing law, in order to be eligible for AFDC-FC benefits, a child must be placed in one of 8 designated placements. This bill would add to the eligible AFDC-FC placements, with respect to an otherwise eligible youth over 18 years of age, a supervised independent living setting. By increasing county duties in administering the AFDC-FC program, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (13) Under existing law, a minor between 16 and 18 years of age who is eligible for AFDC-FC benefits and who meets other specified requirements is eligible for certain transitional housing placement program services in a participating county. This bill, commencing January 1, 2012, would make a nonminor dependent who is eligible for AFDC-FC benefits also eligible for transitional housing benefits. This bill would revise existing provisions relating to the resolution of certain foster care overpayments to apply to Kin-GAP guardian homes and payments on behalf of nonminor dependents residing in supervised independent living settings. (14) Under existing law, a parent or caretaker relative is ineligible to receive CalWORKs aid when he or she has received aid for a cumulative total of 60 months. Existing law excludes from this calculation months when designated conditions exist. This bill, commencing January 1, 2012, would additionally exclude from the above calculation months when a recipient is a nonminor dependent participating in educational or training activities, as prescribed. Moneys from the General Fund are continuously appropriated to pay for a portion of CalWORKs aid grant costs, and for the state's share of AFDC-FC costs. This bill would provide that no appropriation from the General Fund would be made for the purposes of implementing these provisions. By increasing duties of counties administering the AFDC-FC program, this bill also would impose a state-mandated local program. (15) Existing law, the federal Social Security Act, provides for benefits for eligible beneficiaries, including survivorship and disability benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for, among others, blind and disabled children. The act authorizes a person or entity to be appointed as a representative payee for a beneficiary who cannot manage or direct the management of his or her money. Existing law also provides for State Supplemental Payments (SSP) in supplementation of SSI benefits. Existing law, the Foster Care Social Security and Supplemental Security Income Assistance Program, requires the county to apply to be appointed representative payee on behalf of a child beneficiary in its custody when no other appropriate party is available to serve. This bill would additionally require the county, when a child beneficiary reaches 18 years of age and elects to remain in the custody of the county as a nonminor dependent, to provide specified information to the youth regarding the process for becoming his or her own payee, and to assist the youth in this process, unless becoming his or her own payee is not in the youth's best interests, as specified. It would, as part of this process, express the intent of the Legislature that the county ensure that the nonminor receive direct payment of SSI benefits at least one month each year. Existing law requires every youth who is in foster care and nearing emancipation to be screened by the county for potential eligibility for SSI benefits, as prescribed. Existing law authorizes a county, under certain circumstances, to forgo a youth's federally funded AFDC-FC benefits in the month of application for SSI benefits, and instead to use state resources to fund the placement, in order to ensure that the youth meets all of the SSI eligibility requirements. This bill would establish similar requirements for a county child welfare agency, with respect to a nonminor dependent who has been approved for SSI payments but is receiving an AFDC-FC or Kin-GAP benefit that includes federal financial participation in an amount that exceeds the SSI payment, causing the SSI payment to be placed in suspense. By placing new duties on county child welfare agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (16) Existing law provides for the Adoption Assistance Program (AAP) , to be established and administered by the State Department of Social Services or the county, for the purpose of benefiting children residing in foster homes by providing the stability and security of permanent homes. The AAP provides for the payment by the department and counties, of cash assistance to eligible families that adopt eligible children, and bases the amount of the payment on the needs of the child and the resources of the family to meet those needs. Existing law sets forth eligibility requirements for the AAP, including that a child must be under 18 years of age, or under 21 years of age with a mental or physical disability that warrants continued assistance. This bill would additionally include children under 21 years of age who turned 16 years of age before the adoption assistance agreement became effective, and is involved in designated education or employment activities, or is incapable of engaging in these activities due to a medical condition. Payment of adoption assistance would be available for these individuals commencing January 1, 2012, as long as specified federal funds remain available and the state continues to exercise its option to extend payments up to 21 years of age, pursuant to the federal act. (17) Existing law requires the state, through the department and county welfare departments, to establish and support a public system of statewide child welfare services. Under existing law, the term "child welfare services" includes various services provided on behalf of children alleged to be the victims of child abuse, neglect, or exploitation. Existing law establishes the case plan as the foundation and central unifying tool in the provision of child welfare services. This bill would revise the definition of child welfare services to include transitional independent living services, as needed in connection with the provision of other permanent placement services. The bill would revise the requirements for the case plan, effective January 1, 2012, with respect to nonminor dependents, to address the developmental needs of young adults, as specified. The bill would also require the case plan to specify why a group home placement, if made, is necessary for the nonminor dependent's transition to independent living, and would require the nonminor dependent to participate and develop, and to sign, his or her case plan, commencing January 1, 2012. By increasing the duties of counties in preparing case plans, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would revise the definition of a whole family foster home, to include a home that provides foster care for a nonminor dependent parent and his or her child, for purposes of the AFDC-FC program. Effective January 1, 2012, the bill would require that the same rate be paid for the care and supervision of the child of a nonminor dependent as is paid for the child of a teen parent in a whole family foster home. The bill would make other provisions applicable to a teen parent, for purposes of the child welfare services program, also applicable to certain nonminor dependents living in a whole family foster home. Existing law limits child welfare services for voluntarily placed children to a period not to exceed 6 consecutive months, as specified. This bill would, instead, limit the services to a period not to exceed 180 days, and would make conforming changes. (18) (A) This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 11402 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by SB 1214, that would become operative only if SB 1214 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2011, and this bill is chaptered last. (B) The bill would also incorporate additional changes in Section 16501.1 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by SB 945 and SB 1353, to be operative only if this bill and one or both of the other bills are chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2011, and this bill is chaptered last. (19) 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.

(1) The Planning and Zoning Law authorizes the legislative body of a city or county to adopt ordinances that regulate, among other things, signs and billboards. Existing law prohibits a local authority from enacting or enforcing an ordinance on matters covered by the Vehicle Code unless expressly authorized by the code. This bill would expressly authorize a local authority to regulate mobile billboard advertising displays, as defined, including the establishment of penalties. Existing law authorizes a peace officer, or a regularly employed and salaried public employee who is engaged in directing traffic or enforcing parking laws and regulations, to remove a vehicle located within the territorial limits in which the officer or employee is allowed to act under specified and enumerated circumstances, including when a vehicle is parked or left standing where local authorities by resolution or ordinance have prohibited parking and have authorized the removal of vehicles. Existing law also requires that a vehicle may not be removed unless signs are posted giving notice of the removal. This bill would authorize the removal of a vehicle under these provisions when the vehicle is a mobile billboard advertising display and is parked or left standing in violation of a local resolution or ordinance, if the registered owner of the vehicle was previously issued a warning citation for the same offense. The bill would authorize a city or county, in lieu of posting signs with respect to the ordinance, to provide notice, prior to removal of a vehicle, by issuing a warning citation advising the registered owner of the vehicle that he or she may be subject to penalties, including the removal of the vehicle, upon a subsequent violation of the ordinance. The bill would provide that a city or county is not required to provide any further notice for a subsequent violation prior to enforcing those penalties. (2) This bill would incorporate changes to Section 21100 of the Vehicle Code proposed by both this bill and AB 2294, which would become operative only if both bills are enacted and become effective on or before January 1, 2011, and this bill is enacted last.

Existing law designates certain locations as safe-surrender sites for the safe surrender of newborn children who are 72 hours of age or younger. This bill would require a designating entity to consult with the governing body of a city, if the site is within city limits, and with representatives of the applicable fire department and child welfare agency, as specified. The bill would permit a local fire agency, upon the approval of the appropriate local governing body of the agency, to designate a safe-surrender site. The bill would specify certain circumstances in which a safe-surrender site and its personnel have no liability for a surrendered child. By imposing new duties on local officials, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would, on or before January 1, 2013, and on or before January 1 of each subsequent year, contingent on certain conditions, require the department to report to the Legislature specified information pursuant to the act. 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 these statutory provisions.

Under existing law, every person engaged in the business of tattooing, body piercing, or permanent cosmetics is required to register with the county in which that business is conducted, obtain a copy of the county's sterilization, sanitation, and safety standards, as established by the California Conference of Local Health Officers and distributed by the State Department of Public Health, as specified, and pay a one-time registration fee of $25. Existing law allows the county to charge an additional fee, if necessary to cover the cost of registration and inspection, and allows a county to adopt regulations that do not conflict with, or are more comprehensive than, standards adopted by the department. Under existing law, a person who fails to register or who violates the sterilization, sanitation, and safety standards is liable for a civil penalty of up to $500, to be collected in an action brought by the prosecuting attorney of the county or city and county in which the violation occurred. This bill would, as of July 1, 2011, repeal these provisions and, instead, enact the Safe Body Art Act. The act would prohibit a person from performing body art, as defined, without registering annually with the local enforcement agency. The bill would require practitioners to comply with specified requirements, including, among other things, client information and questionnaires, vaccination, bloodborne pathogen training, and sanitation. The bill would also require the owner of a body art facility, as defined, to obtain and annually renew a health permit from the local enforcement agency, as specified, and to maintain the body art facility in a specified manner. This bill would exempt from the definition of body art the piercing of an ear with a disposable, single-use, presterilized stud or solid needle that is applied using a mechanical device to force the needle or stud through the ear but would impose specified requirements on that practice. The bill would allow a local enforcement agency to require facilities performing ear piercing in that jurisdiction to submit a notification form, as provided, with the local enforcement agency. The bill would allow the local enforcement agency to charge a one-time facility notification fee in an amount between $25 and $45, but not in excess of the amount required to cover the actual costs of administering and enforcing the program. The bill would allow a county, after December 31, 2014, to charge a different fee, established by local ordinance, so long as an increased fee amount is necessary to cover the actual costs of administering and enforcing the provisions. This bill would regulate the performance of body art in vehicles, temporary booths, and at body art events and would require a person sponsoring a body art event to obtain a permit and fulfill specified requirements. The bill would allow inspection by an enforcement officer, and would provide for the suspension or revocation of a certificate of registration or a health permit in specified circumstances. The bill would make performing body art without being registered, operation of a body art facility without a health permit, or operation of a temporary body art event without a permit a misdemeanor and would allow the local enforcement agency to assess an administrative penalty, in an amount not less than $25 and not more than $1,000 for violating a provision of the chapter. This bill would allow the State Department of Public Health to adopt regulations relating to specific provisions of the act that would, upon adoption, preempt the specified provision. This bill would allow a city, county, or city and county to adopt regulations or ordinances that do not conflict with, or are more stringent than, the provisions of the act as those provisions relate to body art. Because this bill would place the inspection and enforcement requirements on local governments and because it creates a new crime, it 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 specified reasons.

Existing law governs the hiring of real property based on the terms of the agreement, or on the behavior of the parties. Under existing law, a tenant may notify the landlord in writing that he or she, or a household member, was a victim of an act of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, and intends to terminate the tenancy. The tenant is released from any rent payment obligation 30 days following the giving of the notice, or as specified. Existing law establishes the criteria for determining when a tenant is guilty of unlawful detainer of a premises, and includes committing nuisance in this regard. Existing law provides, until January 1, 2012, for the purposes of the law of unlawful detainer, that if a person commits any specified act or acts of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking against another tenant or subtenant on the premises, there is a rebuttable presumption affecting the burden of proof that the person has committed a nuisance on the premises if the victim or a member of the victim's household has not vacated the premises. This bill would, except as specified, prohibit a landlord from terminating a tenancy or failing to renew a tenancy based upon an act of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking against a protected tenant, as defined, or a protected tenant's household member when that act is documented, as specified, and the person who is restrained from contact with the protected tenant under a court order, as defined, or is named in a police report of that act is not a tenant of the same dwelling unit. The bill would require the landlord to change the locks, as defined, within 24 hours of a written request, as specified, when the restrained person is not a tenant of the same dwelling unit. The bill would also require, under specified circumstances, the landlord to change the locks when the restrained person is a tenant of the same dwelling unit. The bill would declare the landlord not liable to a restrained person who is excluded from the dwelling unit if the locks are changed pursuant to that provision. The bill would state that a restrained person who has been excluded from a dwelling unit under that provision remains liable under the lease with all other tenants of the dwelling unit for rent as provided in the lease. The bill would authorize a protected tenant to change the locks without the landlord's permission, as specified, notwithstanding any provision in the lease to the contrary, if the landlord does not change the locks within 24 hours, as specified, with regard to leases executed on or after the date the bill would take effect. The bill would also specify the manner in which a protected tenant is required to change the locks if the protected tenant changes the locks without the permission of the landlord. The bill would also require the Judicial Council, on or before January 1, 2012, to develop a new form or revise an existing form that may be used by a party to assert in the responsive pleading the grounds set forth in this section as an affirmative defense to an unlawful detainer action.

Existing law prescribes procedures for the issuance of registered warrants and provides that a registered warrant is acceptable and may be used as security for the performance of any public or private trust or obligation. This bill would, if the Controller makes a specified determination, require a state agency to accept, from a person or entity, a registered warrant issued by the Controller and endorsed by that payee, at full face value, for the payment of any obligations owed by that payee to that state agency. The bill would specify that its requirements do not apply to certain obligations and would require the Controller, on or before the September 1 following the conclusion of a fiscal year in which a state agency is required to accept registered warrants pursuant to these provisions, to submit a report to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. The bill would make its provisions inoperative on July 1, 2012, and would repeal them on January 1, 2013. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Under existing law, the State Department of Public Health is responsible for the licensing and regulation of clinics, as defined. A violation of these provisions is a crime. This bill would define "clinic corporation" as a nonprofit organization that operates one or more primary care clinics or mobile health care units as defined. Existing law allows specified primary care clinics to apply for a license to establish a primary care clinic, known as an affiliate clinic, at an additional site and allows the department to approve a license for the affiliate clinic, without the necessity of first conducting an initial onsite survey in specified conditions. This bill would allow a clinic corporation, on behalf of an eligible primary care clinic, to submit an affiliate clinic application, as specified, to license a primary care clinic or a mobile health care unit as an affiliate clinic if certain conditions are met. The bill would designate the clinic corporation as the administrative headquarters for specified purposes for all of the affiliated clinics operated by that clinic corporation and would allow the clinic corporation to submit a single report of change and a single payment for all clinic license renewal fees that are due within the same license renewal month for all of the primary care clinics operated by the clinic corporation. The bill would also require the department to create a complete corporate file for each clinic corporation that includes specified information. Because this bill would create a new crime, it 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.

Existing law generally provides for the confidentiality of juvenile court records and records relating to the administration of public social services. However, records connected to public social services programs are generally permitted to be disclosed for purposes related to the administration of those programs and for other prescribed purposes. Under existing law, counties are authorized to establish multidisciplinary personnel teams trained in the prevention, identification, or treatment of child abuse and neglect cases, or the abuse of elder or dependent persons. Existing law provides, for purposes of the disclosure of information, that the activities of multidisciplinary teams engaged in the prevention, identification, and treatment of child abuse or the abuse of elder or dependent persons are activities performed in the administration of public social services. This bill would recast these provisions to provide that activities of multidisciplinary personnel teams engaged in the prevention, identification, management, or treatment of child abuse or neglect, or the prevention, identification, management, or treatment of the abuse of an elder or dependent person, are activities performed in the administration of public social services. Existing law provides that testimony about discussions relative to the disclosure or exchange of the information or writings during multidisciplinary personnel team meetings is not admissible in any criminal, civil, or juvenile court proceeding. Existing law also provides for the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, under which each county provides cash assistance and other benefits to qualified low-income families. This bill would include in the definition of a multidisciplinary personnel team CalWORKs case managers, and social workers with experience or training in child abuse or neglect prevention, identification, management, or treatment. This bill would also include information relevant to the provision of child welfare services, as defined, as information that may be disclosed and exchanged by a multidisciplinary personnel team. Because the California Constitution provides that a statute excluding relevant evidence in a criminal proceeding requires a 23 vote for passage by the Legislature, this bill requires a 23 vote. Existing law permits a county to establish a computerized database system to allow provider agencies, as defined, to share specified information regarding families at risk for child abuse or neglect for the purpose of forming a multidisciplinary personnel team to prevent, identify, manage, or treat child abuse. This bill would require the database to include information about persons living in a child's home and a contact person instead of the employee assigned to the case from a provider agency. This bill would require a county that establishes this database system to install database system controls to monitor system use and to detect any violations of the system controls. This bill would in addition, with respect to the County of Los Angeles, authorize the database to include information about convictions of family members or persons living in the child's home for crimes that involved a child as a victim, as specified. Existing law requires the information obtained pursuant to the computerized database system to be kept confidential and to be used solely for the prevention, identification, management, or treatment of child abuse, child neglect, or both. This bill would permit the information to be used for the provision of child welfare services. This bill would also provide that any person knowingly and intentionally violating the above confidentiality requirements shall be subject to prescribed administrative and civil penalties. Existing law makes all information and records obtained in the course of providing intake assessment and services under statutes relating to services for persons with developmental disabilities and persons with mental illness confidential, and permits disclosure only under prescribed conditions, including, but not limited to, the courts as necessary to the administration of justice. This bill would recast some, but not all, related confidentiality provisions, to provide that the above information, if relevant to the provision of child welfare services, as defined, or the investigation, prevention, identification, management, or treatment of child abuse or neglect, may be disclosed to multidisciplinary personnel teams. This bill would also recast some, but not all, related confidentiality provisions to expressly prohibit this information from being used in a criminal or delinquency proceeding, but that evidence identical to the information contained within the records is admissible if obtained by other means as permitted by law. Existing law permits a psychotherapist, when the psychotherapist opines that a patient presents a serious danger of violence to a reasonably foreseeable victim or victims, to release mental health information or records to that person or persons, and to law enforcement agencies. This bill would recast some, but not all, related confidentiality provisions to permit a psychotherapist to release the information or records to county child welfare agencies. By imposing a higher level of service on local government this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the County of Los Angeles. This bill would incorporate changes to Section 18961.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code made by AB 2229, to become operative only if both this bill and AB 2229 are enacted and become effective on or before January 1, 2011, 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, 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 these statutory provisions. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975 (Knox-Keene 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 its provisions a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law prohibits a health care service plan or a health insurer from changing its premium rates or applicable copayments or coinsurances or deductibles for group health care service plan contracts or group health insurance policies during specified time periods; however, changes to the premium rates or applicable copayments or coinsurances or deductibles are allowed when, among other things, the change is authorized or required in the group contract. This bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer that includes a provision in a group contract or policy that authorizes or requires a change in premium rates, copayments, coinsurances, or deductibles, to provide an additional disclosure that describes the circumstances under which a change may occur and that provides defined terms and examples of those circumstances, to be signed by the group contractholder or group policyholder and provided to the subscribers or insureds, as specified. Because a willful violation of those provisions would be a crime under the Knox-Keene Act, 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.