Asm. Joe Patterson

Existing law, the Physician Assistant Practice Act, establishes the Physician Assistant Board for the licensure and regulation of physician assistants. Existing law authorizes physician assistants to perform prescribed medical services that are rendered pursuant to a practice agreement and under the supervision of a licensed physician and surgeon. A violation of that supervision provision is a crime. Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, provides for the certification and regulation of doctors of podiatric medicine by the Podiatric Medical Board of California, which is within the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law authorizes physicians and surgeons and doctors of podiatric medicine to establish a professional partnership that includes both physicians and surgeons and doctors of podiatric medicine if specified conditions are satisfied. Existing law authorizes a physician assistant performing medical services under the supervision of a physician and surgeon to assist a doctor of podiatric medicine who is a partner, shareholder, or employee in the same medical group as the supervising physician and surgeon. Existing law requires a physician assistant who assists a doctor of podiatric medicine in this manner to do so only according to patient-specific orders from a supervising physician and surgeon and limits the physician assistant to performing those duties included within the scope of practice of a doctor of podiatric medicine. Existing law requires a supervising physician and surgeon to be available to the physician assistant for consultation when assistance is rendered. This bill would revise those physician assistant supervision provisions to authorize a physician assistant performing medical services under the supervision of a physician and surgeon to assist a doctor of podiatric medicine who is on the staff of the same organized health care system or who is a partner, shareholder, or employee in the same partnership, group, or professional corporation as the supervising physician and surgeon, pursuant to a practice agreement. The bill would delete both the restriction requiring that a physician assistant who assists a doctor of podiatric medicine do so only according to patient-specific orders from a supervising physician and surgeon and the requirement that a supervising physician and surgeon be available to the physician assistant for consultation when assistance is rendered to a doctor of podiatric medicine.

Maddy summaryThis bill is a House Resolution that formally recognizes May 27, 2024, as Memorial Day in California. It serves as a commemorative measure to honor the men and women who have died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. The resolution does not alter laws or create new programs but instead expresses the state's gratitude for the sacrifices made by military personnel.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates May 17, 2024, as Bike to School Day in California to encourage students to ride bicycles or electric bikes to their schools. The resolution highlights the environmental, health, and recreational benefits of cycling while acknowledging the state's existing bike-friendly infrastructure and recent cycling events. It serves as a commemorative measure rather than a law that changes regulations or funding, and it directs the Assembly's Chief Clerk to distribute copies of the text for public awareness.

The California Healthy Youth Act requires school districts, defined to include county boards of education, county superintendents of schools, the California School for the Deaf, the California School for the Blind, and charter schools, to ensure that all pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, receive comprehensive sexual health education and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention education, as specified. The act authorizes a school district to provide that education earlier than grade 7 with age-appropriate and medically accurate information. The act requires each school district to notify parents and guardians of pupils about its plan to provide sexual health education and HIV prevention instruction for the upcoming school year and to inform them, among other things, that the written and audiovisual educational materials used in comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education are available for inspection. This bill would require the governing board of a school district to adopt a policy at a publicly noticed meeting specifying how parents and guardians of pupils may inspect the written and audiovisual educational materials used in comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education, including that the materials, including updates or changes to the materials, are made available, within prescribed timeframes, at each schoolsite and, except as provided, publicly posted on the school district's internet website or, if applicable, on a school district's parent or guardian portal, as specified. By imposing 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, the State Civil Service Act, requires the Department of Human Resources to administer the Personnel Classification Plan of the State of California, including allocating every position to the appropriate class. Existing law requires the allocation of a position to a class be derived from, and determined by, ascertaining the duties and responsibilities of the position, and be based on the principle that all positions are to be included in the same class if certain qualifications apply, including, but not limited to, that the positions are sufficiently similar in respect to duties and responsibilities that the same descriptive title may be used, and substantially the same requirements as to education, experience, knowledge, and ability are demanded of incumbents. Existing law also prescribes a comprehensive civil service personnel system for the state and specifically provides certain preferences for veterans. Existing law grants to a person retired from the United States military, honorably discharged from active military duty with a service-connected disability, or honorably discharged from active duty eligibility for civil service examinations for which they meet the minimum qualifications for the classification. Existing law requires that, in evaluating minimum qualifications, related military experience be considered state civil service experience in a comparable class, based on the duties and responsibilities assigned. This bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2026, to review the department Personnel Classification Plan of the State of California and identify which classes are compatible with creating a waiver for a bachelor's degree requirement for a veteran, as defined, who has served at the level of E-6 or higher for more than 2 years. For a class identified by the department, where a bachelor's degree is required as a minimum qualification for a civil service examination, the bill would require the department to, commencing July 1, 2026, waive the bachelor's degree requirement for a veteran who has served at the level of E-6 or higher for more than 2 years.

Existing law authorizes the Attorney General or a district attorney to make an application, as specified, to a judge of a superior court, for an order authorizing the interception of wire or electronic communications. Existing law authorizes a judge, upon a finding of probable cause as that an individual is committing, has committed, or is about to commit offenses involving a substance containing fentanyl or its precursors or analogs that exceeds 10 gallons by liquid volume or 3 pounds of solid substance by weight, to issue an order authorizing the interception. This bill would reduce the above-described amounts for an order authorizing interception to 1.67 gallons by liquid volume and 8 ounces of solid substance by weight of a substance containing fentanyl or its precursors or analogs.

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, administered by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, regulates the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages and the granting of licenses for the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages within the state. The act imposes a limitation on the amount of on-sale general licenses that may be issued by the department based on the population of the county in which the licensed premises are located, as provided. This bill would authorize the department to issue up to 10 additional new original on-sale general licenses for bona fide public eating places in the first calendar year following any year in which the county reaches the limit on on-sale general licenses, subject to specified provisions. The bill would authorize the county board of supervisors, by resolution submitted to the department on or before July 1, to limit the maximum number of additional licenses issued in the county pursuant to the bill's provisions in that year, as specified. The bill would authorize the department to designate licenses issued pursuant to the bill's provisions as on-sale general for special use.

Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) with regulatory authority over electrical corporations. Existing law prohibits the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission from certifying a nuclear fission thermal powerplant, except for specified powerplants, and provides that a nuclear fission thermal powerplant, except those specified powerplants, is not a permitted land use in California, unless certain conditions are met regarding the existence of technology for the construction and operation of nuclear fuel rod processing plants and of demonstrated technology or means for the disposal of high-level nuclear waste, as specified. This bill would require the PUC to conduct a feasibility study on the use of small modular reactors, as defined, for energy generation in the state, including, among other things, an evaluation of the benefits of small modular reactors in comparison with other renewable resources used, or planned for use, in the state. The bill would require the PUC to submit a report on the results of the feasibility study to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2027.

Existing law establishes the Governor as the primary state officer representing California's interest in international affairs, to the extent that representation is not in conflict with federal law or the California Constitution. Existing law establishes the Lieutenant Governor as the Chair of the Commission for Economic Development to improve trade opportunities for California, and develop international partnerships for foreign companies to do business in the state and for California. Existing law requires the Office of Planning and Research to maintain and update a list of all state agreements made with foreign governments. Existing law additionally requires the Director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development to provide the Legislature with an updated strategy for international trade and investment, that includes, at a minimum, specified components, once every five years. This bill would require the Governor to establish the California-Ireland Trade Commission within the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development as an advisory body to the Governor and the Legislature, consisting of specified appointed members, upon availability of sufficient funding resources for this purpose, as provided. The bill would establish the various purposes of the commission, which would include advancing bilateral trade and investment between California and Ireland. This bill would require the commission to report its findings, results, and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature within one year of its initial organizational meeting and by February 1 of each succeeding year, as specified. The bill would require the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development to consider the commission's recommendations when updating its strategy for international trade and investment. The bill would include related legislative findings.

Existing law, the Mello-Granlund Older Californians Act, establishes the California Department of Aging in the California Health and Human Services Agency and sets forth its mission to provide leadership to the area agencies on aging in developing systems of home- and community-based services that maintain individuals in their own homes or least restrictive homelike environments. Existing law establishes the State Department of Social Services in the California Health and Human Services Agency. Existing law designates the department as the single state agency with full power to supervise every phase of the administration of public social services, except health care services and medical assistance, as specified. This bill, the Secure Seniors Protection Act, would require the State Department of Social Services to, subject to an appropriation, on or before January 1, 2026, establish and administer a toll-free hotline to assist all Californians in dealing with scams, as provided. The bill would require the State Department of Social Services to ensure that the program and its staff are equipped to meet the needs of individuals who are 60 years of age and older. The bill would require, on or before January 31, 2027, and annually thereafter, the State Department of Social Services to submit a report to the Legislature and the relevant policy committees containing, among other things, the number of seniors served, the types of problems the program assisted seniors with, and recommendations for improving the program.