Existing law 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. Under existing law, in-person contact between a health care provider and a patient is not required under the Medi-Cal program for services appropriately provided through telehealth, as defined, subject to reimbursement policies adopted by the department to compensate a licensed health care provider who provides health care services through telehealth that are otherwise reimbursed pursuant to the Medi-Cal program. Existing law, for purposes of payment for covered treatment or services provided through telehealth, prohibits the department from limiting the type of setting where services are provided for the patient or by the health care provider. This bill would provide that neither face-to-face contact nor a patient's physical presence on the premises of an enrolled community clinic is required for services provided by the clinic to a Medi-Cal beneficiary during or immediately following a proclamation declaring a state of emergency. The bill would authorize the department to apply this provision to services provided by another enrolled fee-for-service Medi-Cal provider, clinic, or facility during or immediately following a state of emergency. The bill would require that telehealth services, telephonic services, and other specified services be reimbursable when provided by one of those entities during or immediately following a state of emergency. The bill would condition the implementation of these provisions to the extent that the department obtains federal approval and federal matching funds. The bill would require the department to issue, on or before July 1, 2020, guidance for those entities to facilitate reimbursement for the above-described services, including certain instructions on the submission of claims for telehealth or telephonic services. The bill would authorize the department to implement the provisions by various means, including provider bulletins, and would require the department to adopt regulations, for purposes of the guidance, by January 1, 2024.
Sponsored bills
The California Constitution generally limits ad valorem taxes on real property to 1% of the full cash value of that property. For purposes of this limitation, the California Constitution defines "full cash value" as the assessor's fair market value valuation of real property as shown on the 1975–76 tax bill under "full cash value" or, thereafter, the appraised value of that real property when purchased, newly constructed, or a change in ownership has occurred. Existing property tax law generally defines this "full cash value" of property as the property's "fair market value" and defines these terms to mean the amount of cash or its equivalent that property would bring if exposed for sale in the open market under conditions in which neither buyer nor seller could take advantage of the exigencies of the other, and both the buyer and the seller have knowledge of all of the uses and purposes to which the property is adapted and for which it is capable of being used, and of the enforceable restrictions upon those uses and purposes. Existing property tax law requires the assessor to consider the effect of certain enforceable restrictions, including, among others, a contract that is a 99-year ground lease between a community land trust, as defined, and the qualified owner, as defined, of an owner-occupied single-family dwelling or an owner-occupied unit in a multifamily dwelling, that subjects a single-family dwelling or unit in a multifamily dwelling and the leased land on which the dwelling or unit is situated to affordability restrictions, as defined. This bill would require, when valuing property subject to the enforceable restriction described above, that the sale or resale price of the dwelling or unit be rebuttably presumed to include both the dwelling or unit and the leased land on which the dwelling or unit is situated, and would authorize this presumption to be overcome if the assessor establishes by a preponderance of the evidence that all or a portion of the value of the leased land is not reflected in the sale or resale price of the dwelling or unit. The bill would require corrections of base year values and declines in value owing to the restrictions on properties assessed pursuant to these provisions to apply to all lien dates occurring after September 27, 2016. The bill would also make findings and declarations regarding the public purpose served by the bill. Existing property tax law, in accordance with the California Constitution, provides for a "welfare exemption" for property used exclusively for religious, hospital, scientific, or charitable purposes and that is owned or operated by certain types of nonprofit entities, if certain qualifying criteria are met. This bill would provide that property is within the welfare exemption if that property is owned by a community land trust, as defined, otherwise qualifying for the welfare exemption, and specified conditions are met, including that the property is being or will be developed or rehabilitated as housing, as specified. The bill would require this exemption to apply for 5 lien dates, as provided. The bill would prohibit this exemption from being denied on the basis that the subject property does not currently contain specified property that is in the course of construction. The bill would require the community land trust to be liable for property tax for the years for which the property was exempt under these provisions if the property was not developed or rehabilitated, or if the development or rehabilitation is not in the course of construction, by January 1, 2025, in the case of property acquired by the community land trust before January 1, 2020, or within 5 years of the lien date following the acquisition of the property in the case of property acquired by the community land trust on and after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2025, and would require the community land trust to notify the assessor if property owned by the community land trust is not in the course of construction by these dates. The bill, in the case where property that is owned by a community land trust becomes subject to taxation as so described, would require any assessment made, as provided, to be made within 5 years of the lien date following the date on which the property becomes subject to taxation. By imposing new duties upon local government officials with respect to the exemption provided by this bill, 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. Existing law requires the state to reimburse local agencies annually for certain property tax revenues lost as a result of any exemption or classification of property for purposes of ad valorem property taxation. This bill would provide that, notwithstanding those provisions, no appropriation is made and the state shall not reimburse local agencies for property tax revenues lost by them pursuant to the bill.
Existing law requires each state agency to make a review of all proprietary state lands over which it has jurisdiction, subject to certain exceptions, and to report to the Department of General Services on those lands in excess of its foreseeable needs. Existing law requires the jurisdiction over lands reported excess to be transferred to the department upon request. Existing law requires the Department of General Services to report to the Legislature annually on the lands declared excess. Existing law requires a city or county to have a general plan for development with a housing element and to submit the housing element to the Department of Housing and Community Development prior to adoption or amendment. Existing law requires that the housing element include an inventory of land suitable and available to residential development, as specified. This bill would require the Department of Housing and Community Development to furnish the Department of General Services with a list of local lands suitable and available for residential development as identified by a local government as part of the housing element of its general plan. The bill would require the Department of General Services to create a database of that information and information regarding state lands determined or declared excess and to make this database available and searchable by the public by means of a link on its internet website. The bill would require for any housing element adopted on or after January 1, 2021, that the local planning agency submit an electronic copy of the inventory of land suitable and available for residential development to the Department of Housing and Community Development. By requiring local governments to electronically submit the inventory of land suitable and available for residential development to the department, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would authorize the Department of Housing and Community Development to review, adopt, amend, and repeal the standards, forms, or definitions to implement provisions regarding the inventory of land suitable and available for residential development. The bill would require a local government to prepare the inventory pursuant to those standards, forms, and definitions. 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 existing federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 provides for the negotiation and execution of tribal-state gaming compacts for the purpose of authorizing certain types of gaming on Indian lands within a state. The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to negotiate and conclude tribal-state gaming compacts, subject to ratification by the Legislature. Existing law expressly ratifies a number of tribal-state gaming compacts, and amendments of tribal-state gaming compacts, between the State of California and specified Indian tribes. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on a project, as defined, that the agency proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment, as defined, or to adopt a negative declaration if the agency finds that the project will not have that effect. This bill would ratify the tribal-state gaming compact entered into between the State of California and the Hoopa Valley Tribe, executed on October 19, 2018. The bill would provide that, in deference to tribal sovereignty, certain actions related to this compact are not projects for purposes of CEQA. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law generally provides for the compensation of victims and derivative victims of specified types of crimes by the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board from the Restitution Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, for specified losses suffered as a result of those crimes. Existing law requires a victim or derivative victim seeking compensation to have sustained one or more specified physical or emotional injuries, or pecuniary losses, as a direct result of the crime. Existing law authorizes the board to grant compensation for pecuniary loss, if it determines it will best aid the person seeking compensation, by authorizing a cash payment or reimbursement to a victim for expenses incurred in relocating, including a security deposit, if the expenses are determined by law enforcement to be necessary for the personal safety of the victim or by a mental health treatment provider to be necessary for the emotional well-being of the victim. Existing law specifies that if a security deposit is required for relocation, the board shall be named as the recipient, and receive the funds, upon expiration of the victim's rental agreement. This bill would specify, for purposes of these provisions, that "expenses incurred in relocating" may include the costs of temporary housing for any pets belonging to the victim upon immediate relocation. The bill would also authorize the cash payment or grant to reimburse a victim for a security deposit, pet deposit, or both, for which the board would be named as the recipient, and would receive the funds, upon expiration of the victim's rental agreement. By expanding the authorizations for use of moneys in the Restitution Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 13957 of the Government Code proposed by AB 629 to be operative only if this bill and AB 629 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
(1) Existing law requires an elections official, upon receiving a vote by mail ballot, to compare the signature on the identification envelope of the ballot to specified records of the voter's signature. If the signature does not compare, existing law requires the elections official, at least 8 days before the certification of the election, to provide the voter with notice of an opportunity to verify the voter's signature by signing and delivering a signature verification statement to the elections official, as specified. If the elections official determines that the voter has not signed the ballot identification envelope, existing law prohibits the elections official from rejecting the vote by mail ballot if the voter either signs the ballot identification envelope at the office of the elections official during regular business hours, or completes and submits an unsigned ballot statement, as specified, before 5 p.m. on the 8th day after the election. This bill would, in the case of a voter whose signatures do not match, require the elections official to notify the voter, at least 8 days before the certification of the election, of an opportunity to verify the voter's signature. It would extend the deadline for a voter who did not sign the ballot identification envelope to sign the envelope, or sign and deliver an unsigned ballot statement, to no later than 5 p.m. 2 days before the certification of the election. (2) Existing law provides that certain information on a voter's affidavit of registration, including the voter's home address and signature, is confidential and prohibits disclosure of the information except in specified circumstances. This bill would require information regarding voters who did not sign a vote by mail ballot identification envelope, or whose signature on the vote by mail ballot identification envelope did not match the voter's signature on file, to also be treated as confidential and would prohibit disclosure of the information except in specified circumstances. The bill would require any disclosure of the information to be accompanied by a specified notice relating to misuse of the information. Because the bill would impose additional duties on a local elections official, 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.
The Local Prepaid Mobile Telephony Services Collection Act (local prepaid MTS act) , until January 1, 2020, suspends the authority of a city, county, or city and county, including any charter city, county, or city and county, to impose a utility user tax on the consumption of prepaid communications service and any charge that applies to prepaid mobile telephony service, as defined, on access to communication services or access to local "911" emergency telephone systems, and instead requires those taxes and charges to be applied during the period beginning January 1, 2016, and ending January 1, 2020, under any local ordinance to be at specified rates. The local prepaid MTS act requires that these local charges imposed by a city, county, or a city and county, on prepaid mobile telephony services be collected from the prepaid consumer by a seller at the same time of the retail sale, as specified. Existing law requires that all local charges be collected and paid to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration pursuant to the Fee Collection Procedures Law, be deposited in the Local Charges for Prepaid Mobile Telephony Services Fund, and be transmitted to the city, county, or a city and county, as provided. This bill would extend operation of the local prepaid MTS act until January 1, 2021. By extending the application of the Fee Collection Procedures Law, the violation of which is a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law generally provides, for purposes of the local prepaid MTS act, that if prepaid mobile telephony services are sold in combination with mobile data services or any other services or products for a single price, then the local charges apply to the entire price. This bill would provide that the local charges apply to the entire price unless the seller can identify the services or products that are not subject to local charges from its books and records kept in the ordinary course of business. This bill would make other nonsubstantive changes. The local prepaid MTS act authorizes a consumer to rebut the presumed location of a retail transaction for purposes of the collection of the local charges by filing a claim and declaration under penalty of perjury. By extending the local MTS act until January 1, 2021, the bill would expand the crime of perjury, thereby imposing 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.
(1) 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 that health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies provide coverage for certain services and treatments, including emergency medical transportation services. This bill would require a health care service plan contract or a health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2020, to provide that if an enrollee, insured, or subscriber (individual) receives covered services from a noncontracting air ambulance provider, the individual shall pay no more than the same cost sharing that the individual would pay for the same covered services received from a contracting air ambulance provider, referred to as the in-network cost-sharing amount. The bill would provide that an individual would not owe the noncontracting provider more than the in-network cost-sharing amount for services. The bill would authorize a noncontracting provider to advance to collections only the in-network cost-sharing amount that the individual has failed to pay. The bill would authorize a health care service plan, health insurer, or provider to seek relief in any court for the purpose of resolving a payment dispute, and would not prohibit a provider from using a health care service plan's or health insurer's existing dispute resolution processes. Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements relative to health care service plans would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law, the Emergency Medical Air Transportation Act, effective until January 1, 2022, imposes a penalty of $4 until January 1, 2020, upon every conviction for a violation of the Vehicle Code or a local ordinance adopted pursuant to the Vehicle Code, other than a parking offense. The act requires the county or the court that imposed the fine to transfer the moneys collected pursuant to that act to the Treasurer for deposit into the Emergency Medical Air Transportation and Children's Coverage Fund. Under the act, moneys in the fund are made available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the State Department of Health Care Services for children's health care coverage and administrative costs relating to emergency medical air transportation provider payments. Existing law requires the assessed penalty to continue to be collected, administered, and distributed until exhausted or until June 30, 2021, whichever occurs first, and requires any remaining unexpended and unencumbered moneys in the fund to be transferred to the General Fund, to be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for specified purposes, including funding children's health care coverage. This bill would impose the penalty until July 1, 2020, and would extend the above-specified dates by six months. (3) 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.
(1) Existing law authorizes the governing board of any school district or community college district to order an election and submit to the electors of the district the question of whether the bonds of the district shall be issued and sold to raise money for specified purposes. Existing law generally requires, to pass a school bond measure, that either at least 23 of the votes cast on the proposition of issuing bonds be in favor of issuing the bonds to pass the measure, or, if certain conditions are met, at least 55% of the votes cast on the proposition of issuing bonds be in favor of issuing the bonds. Existing law prohibits the total amount of bonds issued by a school district or community college district from exceeding 1.25% of the taxable property of the district, as provided. This bill would raise that limit to 2%. (2) Existing law also authorizes a unified school district to issue bonds receiving at least 55% of the votes cast on the proposition of issuing the bonds that, in aggregation with bonds issued with a 23 favorable vote, do not exceed 2.5% of the taxable property of the district, as provided. This bill would raise that limit to 4%. The bill would make a similar percentage increase for community college districts. (3) The Leroy F. Greene School Facilities Act of 1998 provides for the adoption of rules, regulations, and procedures, under the administration of the Director of General Services, for the allocation of state funds by the State Allocation Board for the construction and modernization of public school facilities. This bill would, among other things, require a school district to submit to the Department of General Services a 5-year school facilities master plan or updated 5-year school facilities master plan, as provided, as a condition of participating in the school facilities program under the act, would require the school district to submit specified information in the school district's application for an apportionment of state funds, and would make other changes to requirements a school district is required to comply with before participating in programs under the act. The bill would require the department to process applications to participate in the program, as specified, and would make other changes to the method by which the board makes apportionments of moneys under the act. This bill would establish the 2020 State School Facilities Fund, and authorize the board to apportion, and make disbursements of, moneys in the fund, as provided. The bill would require, for bonds approved by voters in 2020 or thereafter, the board to adjust a school district's required local and state contribution, as specified. The bill would authorize new construction and modernization grants to be used for seismic mitigation purposes and, among other things, to establish schoolsite-based infrastructure to provide broadband internet access. The bill would also authorize modernization grants to be used, among other things, for the control, management, or abatement of lead and for the demolishment and construction of a building on an existing schoolsite that meets specified conditions. The bill would prohibit the use of new construction and modernization grants for the purchase of portable electronic devices with a useful life of less than 3 years. This bill would authorize funding for health and safety projects by a school district, as provided. This bill would authorize the board to provide a grant to test for lead in water outlets used for drinking or preparing food on schoolsites serving kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, as provided. The bill would specify procedures that small school districts, as defined, may use to obtain project and construction management, new construction grants, and modernization grants. The bill would also make conforming changes in, and remove inoperative provisions from, the act. (4) The act also requires the board to adopt regulations for determining the amount of funding and the eligibility and prioritization of funding that school districts with a financial hardship may receive from bond acts for construction, modernization, or relocation assistance. The act requires those regulations to include consideration of various factors, including whether the school district's total bonding capacity is $5,000,000 or less, in which case the school district shall be deemed eligible for financial hardship. This bill, for purposes of the regulations related to financial hardship eligibility, would increase the total bonding capacity cap to $15,000,000, to be adjusted as specified. (5) The California Constitution prohibits the Legislature from creating a debt or liability that singly or in the aggregate with any previous debts or liabilities exceeds the sum of $300,000, except by an act that (A) authorizes the debt for a single object or work specified in the act, (B) has been passed by a 23 vote of all the Members elected to each house of the Legislature, (C) has been submitted to the people at a statewide general or primary election, and (D) has received a majority of all the votes cast for and against it at that election. This bill would set forth the Public Preschool, K-12, and College Health and Safety Bond Act of 2020 as a state general obligation bond act that would provide $15,000,000,000 to construct and modernize education facilities, as specified. This bond act would become operative only if approved by the voters at the March 3, 2020, statewide primary election. The bill would also provide for the submission of the bond act to the voters at that election. (6) Existing law establishes the California State University, which is administered by the Board of Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, as segments of public postsecondary education in this state. This bill would require the Board of Trustees and the Regents to comply with certain conditions, as provided, before receiving funds from the 2020 University Capital Outlay Bond Fund established pursuant to the Public Preschool, K-12, and College Health and Safety Bond Act of 2020. (7) Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to impose, as specified, an alternative fee, charge, dedication, or requirement on developers to fund school facilities, until the date new construction bond proceeds authorized by the Preschool-College Public Education Bond Act of 2016 are expended, or December 31, 2020, whichever is earlier. This bill would remove this authority beginning the earlier of January 1, 2021, or the date new construction bond proceeds authorized by the 2016 bond act are expended or apportioned, until January 1, 2028. The bill would also exempt multifamily housing developments that are located no further than 12 mile from a major transit stop, and reduce by 20% from specified amounts for any other multifamily housing developments, as specified, from any fee, charge, dedication, or other requirement for the construction or reconstruction of school facilities, as provided. (8) This bill, except for the provision making the provisions of the bill severable, would become effective upon the adoption of the Public Preschool, K-12, and College Health and Safety Bond Act of 2020 by the voters at the March 3, 2020, statewide primary election.
Existing law establishes the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, which may adjudge a child to be a dependent or ward of the court under certain circumstances. Existing law authorizes only a juvenile court judicial officer to make orders regarding the administration of psychotropic medications for a dependent child or a ward who has been removed from the physical custody of their parent. Existing law requires that court authorization for the administration of psychotropic medications to a child be based on a request from a physician, indicating the reasons for the request, a description of the child's diagnosis and behavior, the expected results of the medication, and a description of any side effects of the medication, and requires the Judicial Council to develop appropriate forms for the implementation of these provisions. Existing law requires, upon the approval or denial by the juvenile court judicial officer of a request for authorization for the administration of psychotropic medication, the county child welfare agency, probation department, or other person or entity who submitted the request to provide a copy of the court order approving or denying the request to the child's caregiver. Existing law requires the Medical Board of California to review specified data provided by the State Department of Health Care Services and the State Department of Social Services regarding Medi-Cal physicians and their prescribing patterns of psychotropic medications and related services for dependents and wards of the juvenile court in order to determine if any potential violations of law or excessive prescribing of psychotropic medications inconsistent with the standard of care exist and, if warranted, to conduct an investigation. This bill would require, by September 1, 2020, the forms developed by the Judicial Council to include a request for authorization by the child or the child's attorney to release the child's medical information to the Medical Board of California in order to ascertain whether there is excessive prescribing of psychotropic medication inconsistent with a specified standard of care. The bill would limit the authorization to medical information relevant to the investigation of the prescription of psychotropic medication, and would limit the use of that information for the purpose of these provisions. If the medical information is admitted as an exhibit in an administrative hearing, the bill would require that information to be sealed. The bill would require, by January 1, 2020, the State Department of Social Services to convene a working group to consider various options for seeking authorization from a dependent child, a ward, or their attorney, for release of the dependent child's or ward's medical information regarding psychotropic medication prescribed between January 1, 2017, and July 1, 2020, and to report to the Legislature by April 15, 2020, on any recommendations to best reach those children and their attorneys to seek authorization.