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 also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies to provide coverage for specified benefits. This bill, known as the Let California Kids Hear Act, would require a health care service plan contract or a health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after July 1, 2020, to include coverage for hearing aids, as defined, for an enrollee or insured under 18 years of age. The bill would require the coverage to be performed by contracted providers, except as specified. The bill would require the contracted providers to include a pediatric audiologist for children under 5 years of age. The bill would require hearing aids covered under the bill to be subject to the cost sharing imposed by the plan contract or health insurance policy for durable medical equipment, as specified. Because a willful violation of these requirements by a health care service plan would be a crime, this 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.
Sponsored bills
The Economic Revitalization Act establishes the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development, also known as "GO-Biz," to, among other duties, serve the Governor as the lead entity for economic strategy and the marketing of California on issues relating to business development, private sector investment, and economic growth. Existing law authorizes the director of GO-Biz to establish and terminate international trade and investment offices outside of the United States as the director determines is appropriate, if specific requirements are met. Existing law establishes the Economic Development and Trade Promotion Account, a continuously appropriated account, to accept private moneys to fund international trade and investment offices. Existing law prohibits a donor from donating in a calendar year more than 25% of the annual budget of an international trade and investment office operated under contract with a nonprofit entity, and requires GO-Biz to post a specified report on its internet website within 30 days of receiving a donation to fund an international trade and investment office operated under contract with a nonprofit entity. This bill would require the director of GO-Biz, on or before January 1, 2023, to establish and operate, to contract with a nonprofit entity to establish and operate, to create a public-private partnership to establish and operate, or otherwise provide for the operation of, an international trade and investment office in Yerevan, in the Republic of Armenia. The bill would require the director of GO-Biz to include information regarding the Yerevan trade and investment office in existing reporting requirements relating to an International Trade and Investment Program, as specified. The bill would establish the Armenia Trade and Investment Office Account as a separate subaccount within the Economic Development and Trade Promotion Account and would require GO-Biz to accept and administer private sector moneys specified for the Yerevan trade and investment office or international trade and investment activities through this account. The bill would restrict the use of the funds in this account to the establishment or operation of that office, as specified, or the undertaking of international trade and investment events through that office, and would make these funds available upon appropriation by the Legislature. This bill would require the Yerevan trade and investment office to, among other things, promote the export of California goods and services into the Republic of Armenia and facilitate access to educational exchange programs between California and the Republic of Armenia. This bill would apply the above-described provisions relating to donations to fund an international trade and investment office operated under contract with a nonprofit entity to a Yerevan trade and investment office operated under contract with a nonprofit entity.
This measure would, among other things, designate the year 2019 as "State of California Year of Commemoration of the Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923," would designate April 24, 2019, as "State of California Day of Commemoration of the 104th 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 request the President and the Congress of the United States to enact legislation that would strengthen the communication between federal, state, local, and tribal officials, and that would require the United States Department of Justice, United States Department of the Interior, and United States Department of Health and Human Services to seek recommendations from tribes in enhancing the safety of Native American women and girls. The measure would also request that the Attorney General of the State of California begin the collection of data as it relates to missing and murdered Native American women and girls.
This measure would recognize August 15, 2019, as India's Independence Day, and urge all Californians to join in celebrating India's independence.
This measure would call for continued support and recognition of the many benefits provided by Special Olympics.
Existing law establishes a program within all cities and all counties and portions thereof located within seismic zone 4, as defined, to identify all potentially hazardous buildings and to establish a mitigation program for these buildings. The mitigation program may include, among other things, the adoption by ordinance of a hazardous buildings program, measures to strengthen buildings, and the application of structural standards necessary to provide for life safety above current code requirements. Existing law requires the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission to report annually to the Legislature on the filing of mitigation programs relating to building construction standards from local jurisdictions. This bill would require the commission, by specified deadlines, to identify funding and develop a bidding process for hiring a third-party contractor to create an inventory of potentially vulnerable buildings, as defined. The bill would require the third-party contractor, in conjunction with the commission, by July 1, 2022, to develop a statewide inventory or survey, or both, of potentially seismically vulnerable buildings in 29 specified counties in California using information developed by local jurisdictions pursuant to the above-described provisions. The bill would require the commission to report to the Legislature on the findings of the inventory or survey, as applicable. The bill would make the operation of these provisions contingent upon the commission obtaining sufficient funding, as provided.
Existing law, the Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act, establishes procedures and requirements for the reporting, investigation, and prosecution of elder and dependent adult abuse. Existing law imposes various reporting requirements on mandated reporters of suspected financial abuse, as defined, and imposes a civil penalty for a violation of these provisions. Under existing law, all officers and employees of financial institutions, as defined, are mandated reporters of suspected financial abuse. This bill would expand the category of mandated reporters of suspected financial abuse to include a broker-dealer and an investment adviser, as defined. The bill would authorize a broker-dealer or investment adviser who makes a report to notify any trusted contact person who had previously been designated by the elder or dependent adult of any known or suspected financial abuse, and to temporarily delay a requested disbursement or transaction from an account of an elder or dependent adult or an account to which an elder or dependent adult is a beneficiary if specified conditions are met. The bill would provide a mandated reporter with civil immunity for any notification or temporary disbursement or transaction delay made in good faith and with reasonable care pursuant to these provisions. Existing law makes specified reports, including reports of known or suspected financial abuse of an elder or dependent adult, confidential. Any violation of the confidentiality of these reports is a misdemeanor. This bill would extend that confidentiality to a report of known or suspected financial abuse of an elder or dependent adult by a broker-dealer or investment adviser. By increasing the scope of a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law authorizes information relevant to the incident of elder or dependent adult abuse to be given to specified investigators, including, among others, investigators from an adult protective services agency, a local law enforcement agency, and the probate court. This bill would instead require information relevant to the incident of elder or dependent adult abuse to be given to those investigators, and would include an investigator from the Department of Business Oversight among those investigators to whom the information is to be given. Existing law requires a county adult protective services agency to report every known or suspected instance of abuse of an elder or dependent adult, as specified, to law enforcement with jurisdiction over the case and to any public agency given responsibility for investigation in that jurisdiction of cases of elder and dependent adult abuse. Existing law also requires a county adult protective services agency to provide mandated reporters of suspected financial abuse of an elder or dependent adult with instructional materials regarding abuse and neglect of an elder or dependent adult and their obligation to report under these provisions. The bill would require a county adult protective services agency to additionally report a known or suspected instance of abuse reported by a broker-dealer or investment adviser and to additionally provide instructional materials to broker-dealers or investment advisers. By increasing the duties of local agencies, 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 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.