Existing law governs a patient's access to their health records. Existing law requires a health care provider, as defined, to provide a patient or the patient's representative with all or any part of the patient's medical records that the patient has a right to inspect, subject to the payment of clerical costs incurred in locating and making the records available, following a written request from the patient. Existing law entitles a patient, employee of a nonprofit legal services entity representing the patient, or the personal representative of a patient, to a copy, at no charge, of the relevant portion of the patient's records upon written request. Existing law also prohibits a health care provider from charging a fee to a patient for filling out forms or providing information responsive to forms that support a claim or appeal regarding eligibility for a public benefit program. Existing law makes a willful violation of these provisions by specified health care providers an infraction. This bill would additionally prohibit a health care provider form charging a fee to a patient for completing health-related forms required by an educational institution or childcare provider for participation in school, childcare, or school-sponsored activities. By expanding the requirements on health care providers and thereby expanding a crime, this bill would create 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
Existing law designates specific days as holidays in this state, including Cesar Chavez Day on March 31, and requires the Governor to annually proclaim March 31 as Cesar Chavez Day. This bill would instead designate March 31 as Farmworkers Day and would require the Governor to annually proclaim March 31 as Farmworkers Day. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Maddy summarySenate Resolution 82 declares February 2026 as Children's Dental Health Month in California to raise awareness about the importance of oral health. The resolution highlights that tooth decay is a major public health issue affecting many children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and notes that untreated dental problems can lead to missed school days and learning difficulties. While acknowledging recent improvements in access to Medi-Cal dental services, the bill emphasizes the need for continued efforts to prevent cavities through education and preventive care. This measure serves as a symbolic recognition rather than establishing new laws or funding, aiming to encourage policymakers and the public to focus on childhood oral health.
Maddy summaryThis resolution designates February 6, 2026, as "Wear Red Day" in California to raise public awareness about heart health, aligning with the national Heart Disease Awareness initiative. It does not create new laws or requirements but formally recognizes the day for voluntary public observance by California residents. The measure is ceremonial and procedural, solely intended to highlight heart health awareness through state-level acknowledgment.
Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to identify areas of the state as moderate, high, and very high fire hazard severity zones based on specified criteria. Existing law requires the State Fire Marshal to periodically review the areas in the state identified as very high fire hazard severity zones, as specified. Existing law requires a local agency, within 30 days after receiving a transmittal from the State Fire Marshal that identifies those fire hazard severity zones, to make the information available for public review and comment, and to present the information in a format that is understandable and accessible to the general public, including, but not limited to, maps. Existing law requires a person who owns, leases, controls, operates, or maintains an occupied dwelling or structure in a very high fire hazard severity zone to take certain fire risk management measures, including maintaining defensible space of 100 feet from each side of the structure, except as provided. Existing law requires the Office of the State Fire Marshal to develop a model defensible space program, as provided, that includes, but is not limited to, specified components, including enforcement mechanisms for compliance with and maintenance of defensible space requirements. Existing law includes among these enforcement mechanisms, among other things, site inspections. This bill would require the factors on which the fire severity zones are based to include areas within the perimeter of a wildfire that burned 1,000 or more acres, destroyed more than 10 structures, or resulted in a fatality, and to include areas at risk for an urban conflagration that accounts for the potential for structures to serve as a fuel source that extends the ember cast outside of wildland areas and areas where agricultural land affects fire hazard. The bill would require the State Fire Marshal to publish the model and methodology used to develop the fire hazard severity zones on its internet website at least 60 days before finalizing those designations and to publish the model and methodology for specified factors whenever the State Fire Marshal reviews the fire severity zones. This bill would require the State Fire Marshal to designate any area that is within the perimeter of a wildfire described above occurring on or after January 1, 2025, as a post-wildfire safety area, as defined, and to transmit a map of the post-wildfire safety area to any local agency with jurisdiction over territory in the designated area within a specified timeframe. Within a certain timeframe following the transmission of the map by the State Fire Marshal, this bill would require the designation of a post-wildfire safety area to trigger the application of state fire protection standards, as defined, in the area. The bill would exempt any designation of a post-wildfire safety area by the State Fire Marshal from the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act. The bill would require a local agency to, within 10 business days of receiving the map, post a notice at the office of the county recorder, county assessor, and city or county planning agency identifying the location of the post-wildfire safety area, and to post the map on its internet website. By requiring local agencies to take specified actions regarding post-wildfire safety areas, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The Planning and Zoning Law requires the legislative body of a city or county to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan that includes various elements, including, among others, a safety element for the protection of the community from specified risks. Existing law requires, upon the next revision of the housing element on or after January 1, 2014, the safety element to be reviewed and updated as necessary to address the risk of fire for land classified as state responsibility areas and land classified as very high fire hazard severity zones, as defined. This bill would additionally require the safety element to be reviewed and updated as necessary to address the risk of fire for land classified as a post-wildfire safety area. By requiring local entities to take specified actions regarding the safety elements of their general plans, 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, 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.
(1) Existing law requires the Office of Emergency Services to enter into a joint powers agreement, as specified, with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to develop and administer a comprehensive wildfire mitigation program, known as the California wildfire mitigation financial assistance program, that, among other things, encourages cost-effective structure hardening and retrofitting that creates fire-resistant homes, businesses, and public buildings. This bill would require the joint powers authority to consider revising the wildfire mitigation program in accordance with prescribed community hardening standards and guidelines developed pursuant to the bill's provisions, as specified below. (2) Existing law establishes the Department of Insurance, headed by the Insurance Commissioner, which regulates insurers and insurance practices. Existing law generally regulates classes of insurance, including fire insurance. This bill would establish the Community Hardening Commission as an independent unit within the Department of Insurance, to be composed of specified members, including, among others, the Insurance Commissioner and the State Fire Marshal or their designee. The bill would require the Insurance Commissioner to be the chair of the commission. The bill would also require the commission to be advised by an advisory council consisting of specified members, including, among others, a local representative on behalf of a city or county, or association representing cities and counties, and a representative of the California Fire Chiefs Association. By imposing additional duties on local representatives of a city or county, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would also require the Insurance Commissioner, beginning January 1, 2026, and at least quarterly thereafter, to convene the commission to perform specified duties, including developing new wildfire community hardening standards to reduce fire risk and improve access to fire insurance. The bill would require the commission to make certain recommendations to the Insurance Commissioner, the Office of Emergency Services, and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in accordance with specified standards. The bill would require the commission to consult with specified stakeholders, including those from public safety districts and the insurance industry, in performing the duties described above. The bill would require the commission, on or before July 1, 2027, to complete the new standards described above and submit a report to the Legislature on additional actions needed to support cities, counties, and members of those communities in home hardening and wildfire mitigation. The bill would also require the commission to periodically review and update those standards, as specified. The bill would further authorize the commission to take various other related actions, including entering into confidential data sharing agreements and coordinating with the relevant legislative committees to secure documentation or specified information. This bill would also require the Department of Insurance, on or before July 1, 2027, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Office of Emergency Services, and the commission, to develop guidelines for state and local agencies to aggregate and make available data related to wildfire risk for purposes of a data sharing platform. (3) Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. (4) 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 establishes in the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency the Department of Real Estate to license and regulate real estate licensees, and the Department of Consumer Affairs, which is composed of various boards that license and regulate various businesses and professions. This bill would authorize the Department of Real Estate and boards under the jurisdiction of the Department of Consumer Affairs to waive the application of certain provisions of the licensure requirements that the board or department is charged with enforcing for licensees and applicants who reside in or whose primary place of business is in a location damaged by a natural disaster for which a state of emergency is proclaimed by the Governor, as specified, or for which an emergency or major disaster is declared by the President of the United States, including certain examination, fee, and continuing education requirements. The bill would require a board to notify the director of the Department of Consumer Affairs in writing of any waiver approved by that board, and would prohibit the waiver from taking effect for a period of 5 business days after the director receives the notification from the board. The bill would authorize the director to approve or disapprove a waiver within the 5 business days described above, and require the director to notify the board of any decision to approve or disapprove a waiver within those 5 business days. The bill would prohibit a waiver from taking effect if the director disapproves the waiver, and require a waiver that is approved by the director, or that fails to be approved or disapproved by the director within the 5 business days described above, to take effect the following day. The bill would require the Department of Consumer Affairs to, among other things, post each waiver that takes effect on its website. The bill would exempt the above-described licensees of boards from, among other requirements, the payment of duplicate license fees. The bill would require all applicants and licensees of the boards under the Department of Consumer Affairs to provide the board with an email address. The bill would prohibit a contractor licensed pursuant to the Contractors State License Law from engaging in debris removal unless the contractor has one of specified license qualifications or has been authorized by the registrar of contractors during a declared state of emergency or for a declared disaster area due to a natural disaster. The bill would require a licensee authorized to perform debris removal to pass an approved hazardous substance certification examination, and comply with certain occupational safety and health requirements concerning hazardous waste operations and emergency response, as specified. The bill would require the Real Estate Commissioner, immediately upon the declaration of a natural disaster for which a state of emergency, emergency, or major disaster is proclaimed or declared as described above, to determine the nature and scope of any unlawful, unfair, or fraudulent practices, as specified, and provide specified notice to the public regarding those practices. The bill would authorize the commissioner to suspend or revoke a real estate license if the licensee, until one year following the declaration of a natural disaster for which a state of emergency, emergency, or major disaster is proclaimed or declared as described above, makes an unsolicited offer to an owner of real property to purchase or acquire an interest in the real property, when that property is located in an area included in a declared federal, state, or local emergency or disaster, for an amount less than the fair market value, as defined, of the property or interest of the property, as specified. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law authorizes a dealer to charge the purchaser or lessee of a vehicle a document processing charge for the preparation and processing of documents, disclosures, and titling, registration, and information security obligations imposed by state and federal law. Existing law authorizes a dealer that has a contractual agreement with the Department of Motor Vehicles to be a private industry partner to set the document processing charge at up to $85 and authorizes all other dealers to set the document processing charge at up to $70. This bill would, until January 1, 2031, subject to specified requirements, authorize a dealer to charge a document processing charge that exceeds those amounts if the charge does not exceed 1% of the total price of the vehicle and does not exceed $260. The bill would exempt the sale of vehicles to the State of California and any local governmental entity from these provisions. The bill would make a conforming change.
(1) Existing law, the Unfair Competition Law, makes various practices unlawful and provides that a person who engages, has engaged, or proposes to engage in unfair competition is liable for a civil penalty, as specified. This bill would additionally make a person who violates those provisions, if the act or acts of unfair competition are perpetrated against one or more persons displaced due to a state of emergency or local emergency, as defined, at the time the violation occurred, liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $2,500 for each violation, as specified. (2) Existing law, the Consumers Legal Remedies Act, makes unlawful certain unfair methods of competition and certain unfair or deceptive acts or practices undertaken by a person in a transaction intended to result or that results in the sale or lease of goods or services to a consumer. These include, among others, making false or misleading statements of fact concerning reasons for, existence of, or amounts of, price reductions. This bill would additionally make it unlawful under those provisions to, among other things, price gouge during a state of emergency or local emergency. (3) Existing law requires the trier of fact, in a civil action to redress unfair or deceptive acts or practices or unfair competition brought by, on behalf of, or for the benefit of senior citizens, disabled persons, or veterans, to consider specified factors in determining the amount of a discretionary fine, penalty, or remedy to be imposed. Existing law authorizes the trier of fact, upon a finding of one of those factors, to impose a fine, penalty, or other remedy in an amount up to 3 times greater than the amount authorized by statute or the amount the trier of fact would impose in the absence of the affirmative finding. This bill would make those provisions applicable to persons displaced due to a state of emergency or a local emergency, as defined, at the time the violation occurred. (4) Under existing law, upon the proclamation of a state of emergency by the President of the United States or the Governor, or upon the declaration of a local emergency by the executive officer of any county, city, or city and county, and for 30 days or 180 days, as specified, following the proclamation or declaration of emergency, it is a misdemeanor for a person, contractor, business, or other entity to sell or offer to sell certain goods or services for a price of more than 10% greater than the price charged by that person immediately prior to the proclamation or declaration of emergency. Existing law authorizes the extension of these prohibitions by, among others, the Governor, if deemed necessary to protect the lives, property, or welfare of the citizens. Existing law defines "housing" as any rental housing with an initial lease term of no longer than one year. This bill would specify that an extension authorized by the Governor may be terminated by a concurrent resolution of the Legislature declaring it at an end. The bill would require a housing listing platform, during the period of 30 days following a proclamation of a state emergency or a declaration of a local emergency, as specified, to, among other things, remove a listing when notified by local, regional, or state law enforcement agencies that the price for a listing made available on the platform violates the price gouging provisions and establish and maintain a policy informing housing providers that listings are prohibited from violating the above-described provisions, as specified. This bill would define "housing listing platform" for these purposes as an internet website, application, or other similar centralized platform that acts as an intermediary between a consumer and another person which allows another person to list the availability of housing, lodging, or units for sale or for rent to a consumer. The bill would remove the one-year lease term limit from the definition of "housing."
Maddy summaryThis Senate Resolution recognizes and celebrates school board members across California for their work in public education. It declares January 2026 as School Board Recognition Month to honor the dedication of nearly 5,000 locally elected school board members who serve on over 1,000 school districts and county offices of education. The resolution urges community members to support local school boards and work together to improve the education system for all children. This is a commemorative measure rather than a policy change, as it does not alter existing laws or regulations.