Asm. Greg Wallis

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 plans and health insurers to provide coverage for prosthetic devices in connection with specified health conditions and procedures. This bill would require a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2025, to cover cranial prostheses, as defined, for individuals experiencing permanent or temporary medical hair loss. The bill would require a licensed provider to prescribe the cranial prosthesis for an individual's course of treatment for a diagnosed health condition, chronic illness, or injury, as specified. The bill would limit coverage to once every 12 months and $750 for each instance of coverage. The bill would not apply these provisions to a specialized health care service plan or specialized health insurance policy. Because a violation of these requirements by a health care service plan would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law also establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and 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. Commencing January 1, 2025, this bill would require coverage for cranial prostheses for individuals experiencing permanent or temporary medical hair loss. or treatment for those conditions as a Medi-Cal benefit, subject to the same requirements with respect to provider prescription, coverage frequency, and amount. The bill would not apply these provisions to a specialized health care service plan. 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 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 provisions. Qualified individuals under the Medi-Cal program include medically needy persons and medically needy family persons who meet the required eligibility criteria, including applicable income requirements. Existing law requires the department to establish income levels for maintenance need at the lowest levels that reasonably permit a medically needy person to meet their basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter, and for which federal financial participation will still be provided under applicable federal law. In calculating the income of a medically needy person in a medical institution or nursing facility, or a person receiving institutional or noninstitutional services from a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly organization, the required monthly maintenance amount includes an amount providing for personal and incidental needs in the amount of not less than $35 per month while a patient. Existing law authorizes the department to increase, by regulation, this amount as necessitated by increasing costs of personal and incidental needs. This bill would increase the monthly maintenance amount for personal and incidental needs from $35 to $50, and would require that the amount be increased annually, as specified. The bill would make these changes subject to receipt of necessary federal approvals.

Existing law requires school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to provide emergency epinephrine auto-injectors to school nurses or trained volunteer personnel, and authorizes school nurses and trained personnel to use epinephrine auto-injectors to provide emergency medical aid to persons suffering, or reasonably believed to be suffering, from an anaphylactic reaction, as provided. Existing law requires school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to, among other things, store those emergency epinephrine auto-injectors in an accessible location upon need for emergency use and include that location in specified annual notices. Existing law authorizes a pupil to carry and self-administer prescription auto-injectable epinephrine if the school district receives specified written statements from a physician and surgeon or a physician assistant, and from the parent, foster parent, or guardian of the pupil, as specified. This bill would replace all references to epinephrine auto-injectors or auto-injectable epinephrine with references instead to epinephrine delivery systems, as defined. To the extent the bill would impose additional duties on local educational 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, 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 the statutory provisions noted above.

Existing law authorizes school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to provide emergency naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist to school nurses or voluntary trained personnel, and authorizes those nurses and voluntary trained personnel to use naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist to provide emergency medical aid to persons suffering, or reasonably believed to be suffering, from an opioid overdose, as provided. This bill would require each individual public school operated by a school district, county office of education, or charter school that has elected to make a school nurse or trained personnel available at the school pursuant to those provisions to maintain at least 2 units of naloxone hydrochloride or another opioid antagonist for purposes of those authorizations.

Existing law classifies certain substances, including cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl, as controlled substances and generally prohibits the possession, sale, transportation, and use of these substances. Existing law additionally prohibits the possession of certain of these controlled substances including cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine while armed with a loaded and operable firearm. A violation of this prohibition is punishable as a felony punishable by incarceration in the state prison. This bill would additionally prohibit the possession of fentanyl, as specified, while armed with a loaded and operable firearm. By expanding the application of an existing 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.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates October 2024 as Menopause Awareness Month in California to highlight the health and societal impacts of menopause on women. It acknowledges that millions of women face symptoms that can affect their daily lives and work, noting that women of color are at higher risk for complications like premature menopause and heart disease. The resolution encourages the state to provide better health information and services to support women's well-being before, during, and after this transition. While the text outlines these goals, the bill itself is a formal recognition rather than a law that creates new funding or mandates specific programs.

Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to prepare and publish a brochure containing specified information for distribution to applicants for marriage licenses and persons who qualify as domestic partners that includes, among other things, information concerning options for changing a name upon solemnization of marriage. This bill would require the State Department of Public Health to create and maintain an internet website that contains instructional information regarding how a person can change their name after they get married and a list of all agencies that need to be notified of a name change that occurs after a marriage.

(1) The Personal Income Tax Law allows, by way of conformity with deductions allowed under federal income tax law, various deductions in computing the income that is subject to the taxes imposed by the Personal Income Tax Law, including a deduction against gross income for interest paid on qualified education loans not to exceed $2,500, reduced, as specified, based on modified adjusted gross income, as defined. This bill, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2024, and before January 1, 2029, would increase the limitation on the deduction described above to $5,000. (2) Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure to contain, among other things, specific goals that the tax expenditure will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill would include additional information required for any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure. (3) This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.

This measure would proclaim the week of April 14, 2024 to April 20, 2024, to be Cities Week, and would encourage all Californians to be involved in their communities and be civically engaged with their local government.

This measure would join Asian and Pacific Islander communities throughout the state, nation, and world in celebrating April 13, 2024, to April 15, 2024, as the Songkran New Year Festival.