Existing law creates various health benefits programs, including the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, and the County Medical Services Program. Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, administered by the Department of Managed Health Care, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans. This bill would authorize certain local initiative health plans, county-organized health plans, and the County Medical Services Program governing board to form joint ventures that consist of contractual relationships to pool risk or share networks, or both, or to provide for the joint or coordinated offering of health plans to individuals and groups. The bill would require all joint ventures established pursuant to the above provisions to meet all of the requirements of the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975.
Sponsored bills
Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to administer child care and development programs, including California state preschool programs, and requires applicants and contracting agencies to give first priority to children who meet specified criteria, including 3- or 4-year-old neglected or abused children who are the recipients of child protective services. This bill would also give first priority to neglected or abused children who are in family maintenance, family preservation, and unification, and to certain other high-risk children who meet specified criteria. The bill would give certain high-risk children the right to continuous enrollment in a state preschool program or a child care and development program that is licensed or is operated by a local educational agency if the child's residence or placement changes. Under existing law, a family is required to meet certain requirements to be eligible for federal and state subsidized child development programs, and requires certain children to be given first priority for those services. This bill would expand the eligibility requirements to include certain other high-risk children, and would also require first priority to be given to children from birth to 5 years of age who meet specified other requirements. The bill would require each county operating a state-funded child care and development program to annually inform the State Department of Education if the county does not provide information on child care and development programs, as specified. By imposing additional duties on 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, 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.
Existing law establishes various student financial aid programs under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements for the receipt of awards under those programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions. Existing law establishes the Military Department, which includes the California National Guard, the State Military Reserve, and the Naval Militia, to perform various duties regarding the state militia. This bill would establish the California National Guard Education Assistance Award Program on behalf of qualifying members of the California National Guard, the State Military Reserve, and the Naval Militia under the administration of the commission. The bill would require the Student Aid Commission, in consultation with the Military Department, to adopt emergency rules and regulations for the purpose of implementing the program. The bill would require the Student Aid Commission to report annually to the Legislature regarding program participation. The bill would require the Legislative Analyst, on or before January 1, 2016, to prepare and submit to the Legislature a report on the program. The bill would provide that the program would become operative only if funds are appropriated for the purposes of the program. The bill would also provide that implementation of the program would be contingent upon the receipt of federal funds. The program would become inoperative on July 1, 2019, and would be repealed on January 1, 2020.
Existing law imposes various taxes and allows specified credits, deductions, exclusions, and exemptions in computing those taxes. This bill would, for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2011, require any bill that would authorize a personal income or corporation tax credit to contain, among other provisions, (1) specified goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax credit will achieve, (2) detailed performance indicators to measure whether the tax credit is meeting those goals, purposes, and objectives, and (3) a requirement that the tax credit cease to be operative 7 taxable years after its effective date, as specified.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income persons are provided with health care services, including mental health services. Under existing law, the State Department of Mental Health is required to implement managed mental health care for Medi-Cal recipients through fee-for-service or capitated contracts with counties, counties acting jointly, qualified individuals or organizations, or nongovernmental entities. This bill would, subject to specified exceptions, commencing March 1, 2010, require the State Department of Mental Health to send a reimbursement claim to the Controller within 90 days after the receipt of a reimbursement claim from any fee-for-service county contractor, and would provide that interest shall accrue on an unpaid claim, as prescribed, commencing on the 91st day after receipt of the claim, except as provided.
Existing law establishes the public elementary and secondary school system in this state, and further establishes a funding system pursuant to which the state apportions funds to local educational agencies based on the average daily attendance of pupils at the schools operated by those agencies. Numerous statutes and regulations govern the calculation and reporting of average daily attendance. This bill, commencing with the 2012–13 fiscal year, would provide that school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools that offer online education courses may claim attendance toward average daily attendance on the basis of a pupil's attendance in an online course or courses that satisfy prescribed criteria. The bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in consultation with the Controller and the Director of Finance, on or before December 31, 2011, to make revisions to any attendance accounting manual or guidance provided to school districts, county offices of education, or charter schools that are necessary to conform to these provisions, or to clarify these provisions with respect to attendance accounting procedures for asynchronous online courses, as defined. The bill additionally would require the Superintendent, in consultation with the Controller and the Director of Finance, to adopt rules and regulations for the purposes of clarifying or expanding the procedures required for verifying the identification of pupils participating in asynchronous online courses and including pupil attendance in asynchronous online education courses in the calculation of average daily attendance. The bill would make these provisions inoperative on July 1, 2016, and repeal them on January 1, 2017.
Existing law establishes the federal Medicaid Program, administered by each state, California's version of which is the Medi-Cal program. The Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, provides health care services to qualified low-income recipients. This bill would, to the extent federal financial participation is available, extend Medi-Cal eligibility, including eligibility for the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) Program, to children who were formerly in foster care and are under 26 years of age, pursuant to prescribed provisions of federal law. Because each county is responsible for making Medi-Cal eligibility determinations, by expanding Medi-Cal eligibility 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 these statutory provisions.
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation by the State Department of Public Health of long-term health care facilities, including skilled nursing facilities. Existing law requires the department to impose a uniform quality assurance fee on each skilled nursing facility, with certain exceptions, in accordance with a prescribed formula. The formula is based on the determination of the projected net revenues of skilled nursing facilities. The fee will cease to be assessed and collected on and after July 31, 2011. Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which health care services, including nursing facility services, are provided to qualified low-income persons. Existing law authorizes the director to adopt regulations as are necessary to implement the above-described quality assurance fee. Existing law authorizes the director, as an alternative to adopting regulations, to implement the above-described provisions, in whole or in part, by means of a provider bulletin, or other similar instructions, without taking regulatory action, provided that neither the bulletin nor the other similar instructions remain in effect after July 31, 2010. This bill would permit provider bulletins or similar instructions related to exemptions from the quality assurance fee for providers of a continuum of services, including independent living services, assisted living services, and skilled nursing care on a single campus that have not received a Letter of Exemption from the State Department of Social Services, as specified, issued prior to July 31, 2010, to remain in effect after July 31, 2010. It would also authorize the director to issue new provider bulletins or similar instructions, after July 31, 2010, related to exemptions from the quality assurance fee for providers of a continuum of services, including independent living services, assisted living services, and skilled nursing care on a single campus that have not received a Letter of Exemption from the State Department of Social Services, as specified. 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 disability insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires health care service plans and disability insurers, and their employees or agents, when presenting a plan contract or policy for examination or sale to an individual purchaser or to the representative of a group consisting of 25 or fewer individuals, to make a written disclosure of the ratio of premium costs to health services paid, in the case of health care service plans, or of incurred claims to earned premiums, in the case of disability insurers, for the preceding year, as specified. This bill would instead require that this disclosure be made when presenting a plan contract or policy for examination or sale to an individual purchaser or to the representative of a group consisting of 50 or fewer individuals. The bill would make other technical, nonsubstantive changes. 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.
The Employment Agency, Employment Counseling, and Job Listing Services Act, the violation of which is a misdemeanor, regulates the business of employment agencies, including nurses' registries, as defined. Existing law requires an employment agency that refers temporary licensed nursing staff, as defined, to an employer that is a licensed long-term health care facility, as defined, to provide the employer with (1) written verification that the person is in good standing with the Board of Registered Nursing or the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians, as applicable, and has successfully secured a criminal record clearance, (2) the individual's professional license and registration number and date of expiration, (3) a statement that the person has had a health examination, as specified, and (4) written verification that the individual referred does not have any unresolved allegations against him or her involving mistreatment, neglect, or abuse of a patient, as specified. Existing law also requires these agencies to adopt policies and procedures regarding prevention of resident or patient abuse by temporary staff. This bill would impose those requirements on an employment agency that refers temporary licensed nursing staff to any health facility, as defined. Existing law requires an employer to report to the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians the suspension or termination for cause of any licensed vocational nurse or psychiatric technician in its employ. This bill would require an employment agency to report to the board the suspension or termination for cause by a health facility of a licensed vocational nurse or psychiatric technician referred to the facility by the agency. When a health facility makes that report to the board regarding one of the above-described licensed persons, who was referred to that health facility by an employment agency, the bill would require the health facility to send a copy of the report to that employment agency. The bill would also make conforming changes. The bill would authorize the imposition of civil penalties of up to $5,000 for each violation, and up to $10,000 for each willful or knowing violation, of the bill's provisions. Because this bill would establish additional requirements under the act, the violation of which would be a misdemeanor, 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.