Sen. Mike McGuire

Existing law, the California Community Care Facilities Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of community care and residential facilities by the State Department of Social Services. Under existing law, the act does not apply to certain facilities, including, among others, any school dormitory or similar facility determined by the department. Existing law makes a violation of any of these provisions punishable as a misdemeanor. This bill would define "private alternative boarding school" and "private alternative outdoor program" for purposes of the act and would make those facilities subject to regulation under the act. The bill would require the department, commencing January 1, 2018, to license private alternative boarding schools as group homes and, commencing January 1, 2019, to license private alternative outdoor programs as group homes. The bill would impose additional requirements on these facilities and programs, including, among others, requiring them to provide each prospective youth and his or her parent or legal guardian with an accurate written description of the programs and services to be provided and requiring their staff to receive training in specified subject areas. The bill would also establish rights for youth admitted to a private alternative boarding school or a private alternative outdoor program. The bill would require the department to adopt regulations implementing licensure of private alternative boarding schools by January 1, 2018, and to adopt regulations implementing licensure of private alternative outdoor programs by January 1, 2019, and would authorize the department to adopt emergency regulations in both instances. By making private alternative boarding schools and private alternative outdoor programs subject to criminal penalties under the act, this bill would create new crimes, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes made by AB 741 and AB 1997 that would become operative only if this bill is chaptered last. 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.

Existing law regulates real property acquired and operated by the state as wildlife management areas, and authorizes the Department of Fish and Wildlife, when income is directly derived from that real property, as provided, to annually pay to the county in which the property is located an amount equal to the county taxes levied upon the property at the time it was transferred to the state. Existing law further authorizes the department to pay the assessments levied upon the property by any irrigation, drainage, or reclamation district. Existing law requires those payments to only be made from funds that are appropriated to the department for those purposes. This bill would require, instead of authorize, the department to make these payments subject to appropriation by the Legislature.

Existing law provides for the county-administered In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program, under which qualified aged, blind, and disabled persons are provided with supportive services in order to permit them to remain in their own homes and avoid institutionalization. Existing law provides that a person who is the parent or a spouse of a recipient of those services shall be paid for providing specified services to the recipient through the program. This bill would, until January 1, 2019, establish the In-Home Supportive Services Family Caregiver Benefits Advisory Committee within the State Department of Social Services, as specified, for the purpose of describing the availability of, and barriers to accessing, employment-based supports and protections, as specified, and studying the impact of the lack of access to these supports and protections on individuals who provide supportive services to a spouse or as the parent of a recipient child. The bill would require the advisory committee to submit a peer-reviewed report to the Legislature, as specified, on or before January 1, 2018.

Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, among other things provides for the licensure and regulation of physicians and surgeons by the Medical Board of California. Under existing law, the board's responsibilities include enforcement of the disciplinary and criminal provisions of the act. Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services, including early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment for any individual under 21 years of age. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law establishes a statewide system of child welfare services, administered by the State Department of Social Services, with the intent that all children are entitled to be safe and free from abuse and neglect. This bill would, until January 1, 2027, require the State Department of Health Care Services and the State Department of Social Services, pursuant to a specified data-sharing agreement, to provide the Medical Board of California with information regarding Medi-Cal physicians and their prescribing patterns of psychotropic medications and related services for specified children and minors placed in foster care using data provided by the State Department of Health Care Services and the State Department of Social Services, as prescribed. The bill would require that the data concerning psychotropic medications and related services be drawn from existing data sources maintained by the departments and shared pursuant to a data-sharing agreement and would require that, every 5 years, the board, the State Department of Health Care Services, and the State Department of Social Services consult and revise the methodology, if determined to be necessary. The bill would require the board to contract for consulting services from, if available, a psychiatrist who has expertise and specializes in pediatric care for the purpose of reviewing the data provided to the board. Commencing July 1, 2017, the bill would require the board to report annually to the Legislature, the State Department of Health Care Services, and the State Department of Social Services the results of the analysis of the data. The bill would, until January 1, 2027, require the board to review the data in order to determine if any potential violations of law or excessive prescribing of psychotropic medications inconsistent with the standard of care exist and conduct an investigation, if warranted, and would require the board to take disciplinary action, as specified. The bill would require the board, on or before January 1, 2022, to conduct an internal review of those activities and to revise procedures relating to those activities, if determined to be necessary. The bill would require the State Department of Health Care Services to disseminate treatment guidelines on an annual basis through its existing communications with Medi-Cal providers, as specified. The bill would require the board to handle on a priority basis investigations of repeated acts of excessive prescribing, furnishing, or administering psychotropic medications to a minor, as specified.

Existing law prohibits a voter from showing his or her ballot to any person after it is marked in such a way as to reveal its contents. Existing law provides that a person who interferes or attempts to interfere with the secrecy of voting is guilty of a felony, and authorizes the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, or a local elections official to bring an action to impose additional civil penalties for committing those acts. This bill would create an exception to that prohibition that would permit a voter to voluntarily disclose how he or she voted if that voluntary act does not violate any other law.

Existing law prescribes limits on the hours of employment of minors, but authorizes the Labor Commissioner to grant an exemption to employers operating agricultural packing plants for the employment of minors 16 and 17 years of age for up to 10 hours on days when school is not in session, during the peak harvest season. Existing law provides an exception to those provisions for the County of Lake by limiting the employer exemption that may be issued by the Labor Commissioner to the employment of minors, 16 or 17 years of age, who reside in the County of Lake, and only on days when school is not in session, for up to 10 hours a day, as well as for more than 48 hours but not more than 60 hours in a week, upon prior written approval of the Lake County Office of Education. Existing law also requires the Labor Commissioner, prior to issuing the County of Lake exemption or renewing an exemption, to inspect an affected agricultural packing plant. Existing law requires the Labor Commissioner to file a written report with the Legislature on or before November 1, 2016, describing the general working conditions of minors employed in the agricultural packing industry during the period from March 1, 2011, to October 1, 2016, inclusive, as specified. Existing law further requires an affected employer, on or before March 1 of each year, as a condition of receiving that exemption or a renewal of that exemption, to file a written report to the Labor Commissioner, as specified. These provisions are set to expire on January 1, 2017. This bill would extend the operation of the exception pertaining to the employment of minors in the County of Lake until January 1, 2022. It would additionally require the Labor Commissioner to report to the Legislature on or before November 1, 2020, on the working conditions for the period from October 1, 2016, to October 1, 2020, inclusive.