This measure would declare April 2010 as Financial Aid and Literacy Month to raise public awareness about the need for increased financial literacy.
Under existing law, the Labor Commissioner is the chief of the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement and is charged with the responsibility of enforcing the state's labor laws not specifically vested in any other officer, board, or commission. This bill would require an entity that uses an independent contractor for purposes of home deliveries, where the delivery person has access to the home, to register with the Labor Commissioner and would require the Labor Commissioner to conduct an investigation, including a criminal background check by the Department of Justice, of all persons identified by the applicant for registration as persons who would be engaged in home deliveries with access to the home and determines that the applicant has not previously violated these provisions before registering or renewing the registration of an entity. The bill would require the Labor Commissioner to adopt regulations to implement these registration requirements, including the determination of fees that applicants for registration must pay to defray the costs of administering the registration program.
(1) The Enterprise Zone Act provides for the designation of enterprise zones by the Department of Community Housing and Development, based on the department's approval of applications from a city, county, or city and county with a geographic area meeting certain criteria. Certain entities within a designated enterprise zone may receive regulatory, tax, and other incentives for private investment and employment. This bill would, notwithstanding any other provision of law, require the department, upon application by the Downey City Council, to designate one enterprise zone within the geographic area of the City of Downey. (2) The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to declare a fiscal emergency and to call the Legislature into special session for that purpose. The Governor issued a proclamation declaring a fiscal emergency, and calling a special session for this purpose, on December 19, 2008. This bill would state that it addresses the fiscal emergency declared by the Governor by proclamation issued on December 19, 2008, pursuant to the California Constitution.
The Public Employees' Retirement Law (PERL) creates the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) , which provides a defined benefit to its employees based on age at retirement, service credit, and final or highest compensation paid to the employee. In the case of an employee who has been employed by one or more contracting public agencies, retirement benefits distributed to that employee is the obligation of all of contracting public agency employers and is prorated to each of the contracting public agencies based upon the number of years that the employee worked for each of those agencies. This bill would provide that the obligations for retirement benefits that are attributable to excess compensation earned by a nonrepresented employee who was employed by one or more public agencies shall be the sole obligation of the subsequent contracting agency that paid the excess compensation. This bill would define "excess compensation" as the final compensation of an employee of a contracting agency who previously worked for another contracting agency to the extent the final compensation received from the current contracting agency is in excess of 15% of the salary paid by the prior contracting agency, as adjusted for actuarial increases in that salary.
This measure would commend the Girl Scouts for 98 years of service and for inspiring millions of girls with the highest ideals of confidence, courage, and character.
This measure would recognize the week of April 18, 2010, through April 24, 2010, as Crime Victims' Rights Week.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income persons receive health care benefits. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid provisions. Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal Hospital/Uninsured Care Demonstration Project Act that revises hospital reimbursement methodologies in order to maximize the use of federal funds consistent with federal Medicaid law and stabilize the distribution of funding for hospitals. Existing law requires the department to submit an application to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for a waiver or demonstration project that would implement specified objectives. Existing law requires the department to submit the waiver or demonstration project application to the CMS by a date that allows sufficient time for the waiver or demonstration project to be approved by no later than September 1, 2010, or the conclusion of any extension period granted in the demonstration project set forth in the Medi-Cal Hospital/Uninsured Care Demonstration Project Act, whichever happens last. This bill would, to the extent necessary to continue the implementation of the Medi-Cal Hospital/Uninsured Care Demonstration Project Act, require the department to submit to CMS, by September 1, 2010, an application for a waiver or a demonstration project. 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, 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. Under existing law, no change in premium rates or coverage in a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy may become effective without written prior notification of the change to the contractholder or policyholder. Existing law prohibits a plan or insurer during the term of a group contract or policy from changing the rate of the premium, copayment, coinsurance, or deductible during specified time periods. This bill would prohibit a health care service plan or health insurer from increasing the premium rate it charges a subscriber or policyholder of an individual contract or policy for a period of 90 days beginning with the date this provision becomes operative. Thereafter, this provision would become inoperative and the bill would prohibit a plan or insurer from increasing premium rates for individual contracts or policies by more than the average percentage increase in the medical care component of the consumer price index for the immediately preceding calendar year, as calculated by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bill would require any plan or insurer filing with the Department of Managed Health Care or the Department of Insurance containing a proposed premium rate increase for an individual contract or policy to comply with all other state and federal laws. The bill would also prohibit a plan or insurer from increasing the premium rate it charges a subscriber or policyholder of an individual contract or policy during the 12 months following the last premium rate increase. The bill would authorize the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance to adopt regulations implementing these provisions, as specified. Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements with respect to health care service plans 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. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
This measure would recognize the importance of celebrating the birth and independence of Mexico and honoring and invigorating the spirit of friendship, understanding, and cooperation that characterizes the California-Mexico relationship.
Existing law does not provide a system of universal health care coverage for California residents. Existing law provides for the creation of various programs to provide health care services to persons who have limited incomes and meet various eligibility requirements. These programs include the Healthy Families Program administered by the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, and the Medi‑Cal program administered by the State Department of Health Care Services. Existing law provides for the regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and health insurers by the Department of Insurance. This bill would establish the California Healthcare System to be administered by the newly created California Healthcare Agency under the control of a Healthcare Commissioner appointed by the Governor and subject to confirmation by the Senate. The bill would make all California residents eligible for specified health care benefits under the California Healthcare System, which would, on a single-payer basis, negotiate for or set fees for health care services provided through the system and pay claims for those services. The bill would provide that a resident of the state with a household income, as specified, at or below 200% of the federal poverty level would be eligible for the type of benefits provided under the Medi-Cal program. The bill would require the commissioner to seek all necessary waivers, exemptions, agreements, or legislation to allow various existing federal, state, and local health care payments to be paid to the California Healthcare System, which would then assume responsibility for all benefits and services previously paid for with those funds. The bill would create the Healthcare Policy Board to establish policy on medical issues and various other matters relating to the system. The bill would create the Office of Patient Advocacy within the agency to represent the interests of health care consumers relative to the system. The bill would create within the agency the Office of Health Planning to plan for the health care needs of the population, and the Office of Health Care Quality, headed by a chief medical officer, to support the delivery of high quality care and promote provider and patient satisfaction. The bill would create the Office of Inspector General for the California Healthcare System within the Attorney General's office, which would have various oversight powers. The bill would prohibit health care service plan contracts or health insurance policies from being issued for services covered by the California Healthcare System. The bill would create the Healthcare Fund and the Payments Board to administer the finances of the California Healthcare System. The bill would create the California Healthcare Premium Commission (Premium Commission) to determine the cost of the California Healthcare System and to develop a premium structure for the system that complies with specified standards. The bill would require the Premium Commission to recommend a premium structure to the Governor and the Legislature on or before January 1, 2013, and to make a draft recommendation to the Governor, the Legislature, and the public 90 days before submitting its final premium structure recommendation. The bill would specify that only its provisions relating to the Premium Commission would become operative on January 1, 2011, with its remaining provisions becoming operative on the date the Secretary of California Health and Human Services notifies the Legislature, as specified, that sufficient funding exists to implement the California Healthcare System. The bill would require that system to be operative within 2 years of that date and would provide for various transition processes for that period. The bill would extend the application of certain insurance fraud laws to providers of services and products under the system, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program by revising the definition of a crime. The bill would enact other related provisions relative to budgeting, regional entities, federal preemption, subrogation, collective bargaining agreements, compensation of health care providers, conflict of interest, patient grievances, independent medical review, and associated matters. 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.
