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 provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires a health care service plan contract or a health insurance policy covering prescription drug benefits to provide specified coverage to subscribers, enrollees, and insureds. This bill would require health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies that cover outpatient prescription drug benefits to provide coverage for a drug that has been prescribed for the treatment of pain and would prohibit those contracts and policies from requiring the subscriber, enrollee, or insured to first use another drug or product as specified. The bill would specify that these provisions do not apply to a health care service plan or health insurance policy purchased by the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System. 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.
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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.
This measure would support federal legislative efforts to reduce or eliminate discrimination against same-sex couples in social security benefits.
Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has regulatory authority over public utilities, including electrical corporations, as defined. A decision of the PUC adopted the California Solar Initiative. Existing law requires the PUC to undertake certain steps in implementing the initiative. Existing law requires the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) , in consultation with the PUC, local publicly owned electric utilities, and interested members of the public, to establish eligibility criteria for solar energy systems and to establish conditions for ratepayer funded incentives. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to encourage small-scale solar energy systems of one megawatt or less capacity in communities with large concentrations of multifamily residential complexes, and its further intent to enact legislation to enable the residents of those complexes to participate in feed-in tariff programs, solar energy incentives, and the economic and environmental benefits of rooftop solar and other small-scale renewable energy projects.
Existing law relative to private energy producers requires every electric distribution utility or cooperative, as defined, to make available to an eligible customer‑generator, as defined, a standard contract or tariff for net energy metering on a first-come-first-served basis until the time that the total rated generating capacity used by eligible customer‑generators exceeds 2.5% of the electric distribution utility or cooperative's aggregate customer peak demand. This bill would require that the standard contract or tariff for net energy metering be offered on a first-come-first-served basis until the time that the total rated generating capacity used by eligible customer‑generators exceeds 5% of the electricity distribution utility or cooperative's aggregate customer peak demand. The bill would prohibit, on and after July 1, 2010, a contractor holding a class C-46 license issued by the Contractors' State License Board from constructing, altering, or installing, for an eligible customer-generator generating electricity under a tariff or contract pursuant to these provisions, a solar photovoltaic electrical generating facility with the capacity to generate greater than 250 kilowatts of electricity. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 2827 of the Public Utilities Code, proposed by AB 920 or SB 7, to be operative only if either AB 920 or SB 7 and this bill are chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2010, and this bill is chaptered last.
Existing law, the Holden-Moscone-Garamendi Genetically Handicapped Person's Program, requires the Director of Health Care Services to establish and administer a program for the medical care of persons with genetically handicapping conditions, including hemophilia. This bill would impose specified requirements on providers of blood clotting products for home use, as described, whose products are used for the treatment and prevention of symptoms associated with bleeding disorders, including all forms of hemophilia. This bill would require the California State Board of Pharmacy to administer and enforce these provisions.
The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 requires the State Air Resources Board to adopt regulations to require the reporting and verification of emissions of greenhouse gases and to monitor and enforce compliance with the reporting and verification program, and requires the state board to adopt a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit equivalent to the statewide greenhouse gas emissions levels in 1990 to be achieved by 2020. The act requires the state board to adopt rules and regulations in an open public process to achieve the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective greenhouse gas emission reductions. The act authorizes the state board to include the use of market-based compliance mechanisms. The act authorizes the state board to adopt a schedule of fees to be paid by the sources of greenhouse gas emissions regulated pursuant to the act, and requires the revenues collected pursuant to that fee to be deposited into the Air Pollution Control Fund and be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for purposes of carrying out the act. This bill would provide that revenues generated from fees to fund expenditures beyond the administrative costs of implementing the act, revenues generated as a result of the implementation of market-based compliance mechanisms, or revenues generated from compliance mechanisms shall be appropriated by the Legislature in furtherance of the act for purposes determined by the Legislature.
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 imposes various requirements with respect to contracting by state agencies. This bill would require a state agency that accepts bids or proposals for contracts for goods or services exceeding $1,000,000, or for the distribution of funds pursuant to the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, on or before July 1, 2011, to provide a 5% preference, as provided, to a business that directly provides the goods or services when 90% of the employees of the business performing work on the contract reside in the state. This bill would state that these bidding preferences are not applicable to contracts that are subject to the State Contract Act or to contracts for specified professional services.