The California Children and Families Act of 1998, an initiative measure approved by the voters as Proposition 10 at the November 3, 1998, statewide general election, requires that the California Children and Families Program, established by the act, be funded by certain surtaxes imposed on the sale and distribution of cigarettes and tobacco products and deposited into the California Children and Families Trust Fund, and that the fund be used for the implementation of comprehensive early childhood development and smoking prevention programs. Existing law establishes a state commission, the California Children and Families Commission, also known as First 5 California, with specified powers and duties relating to the administration of the act on a state level. Existing law establishes the California Health and Human Services Agency, which includes departments charged with the administration of health, social, and other human services. Existing law establishes the Early Childhood Policy Council to advise on statewide early learning and care policy. This bill would require the California Health and Human Services Agency to establish, by March 1, 2025, a workgroup with specified membership, including members from First 5 county commissions, to create recommendations for a statewide comprehensive, equity-focused prenatal-to-3 system agenda, as specified. The bill would require the workgroup to submit its recommendations to the administration and to the Legislature by January 31, 2026, and to provide updates to the Early Childhood Policy Council before that date.
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Existing law establishes various programs for the enforcement of environmental protection. Existing law defines environmental justice, for certain purposes, as the fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and incomes with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Existing law makes legislative findings and declarations that it is in the public interest to provide the people of the state through the Attorney General with adequate remedy to protect the natural resources of the state from pollution, impairment, or destruction. Existing law authorizes the Attorney General to intervene in any judicial or administrative proceeding in which facts are alleged concerning pollution or adverse environmental effects that could affect the public generally. This bill would continue in existence, within the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Environmental Justice for the purpose of protecting people and communities that endure a disproportionate share of environmental pollution and public health hazards. The bill would require the bureau to ensure fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and incomes with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies, pursuant to the existing authority of the Attorney General, as specified. The bill would require the Attorney General to ensure the bureau is staffed with a minimum of 12 attorneys and an appropriate number of support staff.
Existing law defines the duties of the Treasurer, which includes, but is not limited to, keeping an account of all money received and disbursed. Existing law required the Treasurer to, as soon as April 1, 2022, but no later than specified, in consultation with the California Housing Finance Agency and other specified state agencies, develop a framework for the California Dream For All Program in accordance with the goals and intent of the program, including, among other things, making home ownership more affordable by reducing the cost of home ownership by up to 45 percent for lower and moderate-income Californians, and submit a report, as specified, outlining the program framework to the Legislature. This bill would require the Treasurer, on or before December 31, 2025, and in consultation with the California Housing Finance Agency, the Department of Housing and Community Development, and other stakeholders deemed relevant by those state bodies, to develop a framework for the Building Home Ownership for All Program in accordance with the goals and elements of the program, including, among other things, expanding access to homeownership by making it affordable for lower and moderate-income Californians, and submit a report, as specified, outlining the program framework to the Legislature. The bill would also make findings and declarations related to the program.
Existing law establishes the California Health and Human Services Agency, which includes the State Department of Health Care Services, among other state departments charged with the administration of health, social, and other human services. Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program 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. Existing law sets forth a schedule of covered benefits under the Medi-Cal program, which includes community health worker services. Existing law defines "community health worker" as a liaison, link, or intermediary between health and social services and the community to facilitate access to services and to improve the access and cultural competence of service delivery and who is a frontline health worker either trusted by, or who has a close understanding of, the community served. Existing law includes in the definition of community health worker Promotores, Promotores de Salud, Community Health Representatives, navigators, and other nonlicensed health workers with specified qualifications. This bill would require the department, by no later than January 1, 2025, and until December 31, 2026, to convene the Promotores and Promotoras Advisory and Oversight Workgroup to provide perspective and guidance to changes in the health and human services delivery system, including, but not limited to, the Medi-Cal program. The bill would require the secretary to appoint no fewer than 9 individuals to the workgroup who have at least ten years experience working in California as, or with, Promotores or Promotoras. The bill would require the workgroup to be comprised of no less than 51% Promotores or Promotoras, as specified, and require the appointees to be from geographically diverse areas of the state. The bill would require the workgroup to advise the departments under the agency to ensure that services provided by Promotores or Promotoras are available and accessible to all eligible populations. The bill would also require the workgroup to advise the agency to ensure that Promotores and Promotoras training and outreach materials are culturally and linguistically appropriate, to make recommendations on outreach efforts, as specified, and to provide input on issues that should be informed by community representatives who have lived experience with using and navigating Promotores or Promotoras services and the Medi-Cal program. The bill would also make findings and declarations related to the inclusion of Promotoras.
Existing law creates the Department of Housing and Community Development and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the administration of housing programs. This bill would, upon appropriation by the Legislature, require the department to solicit participation in the State Partnership for Affordable Housing Registries in California Grant Program among eligible entities, as defined, through a notice of funding availability. The bill would require the department to disburse funds awarded to eligible entities, and require program administrators, as defined, to launch Phase 1 of the platforms, as specified. The bill would require the department to disburse funds to applicants in geographically diverse communities to the extent feasible. This bill would authorize a program administrator to contract, as specified, with a vendor and would require a vendor selected to create and maintain the platform to meet the requirements of the bill's provisions. The bill would require the platform to have certain capabilities, including that Phase 1 functions include the capability to view affordable housing listings and information, as specified, and that Phase 2 functions include the capability to apply to affordable housing units, as specified. The bill make any personally identifiable information collected by the platform or shared between eligible entities and the department in administering this chapter confidential and exempt it from public disclosure, as specified. This bill would become operative upon appropriation by the Legislature of sufficient funds and would provide for augmentation of funding with moneys from other government sources, private or philanthropic donations, and any recoveries or reversions resulting from activities pursuant to these provisions. 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.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Pursuant to authority delegated by the Federal Communications Commission to state regulatory bodies and its existing statutory authority, the Public Utilities Commission has established procedures for implementing 2-1-1 dialing in California to connect people to social services and aid in times of disaster. Existing law, until January 1, 2023, authorized the commission, if it determined that doing so was an appropriate use of funds collected from ratepayers, to expend up to $1,500,000 from the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund to help close 2-1-1 service gaps in counties lacking access to disaster preparedness, response, and recovery information and referral services, where technically feasible, through available 2-1-1 service. Existing law establishes the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) within the Governor's office to provide long-range planning and research and to serve as the comprehensive state planning agency. This bill would, upon appropriation, require the OPR to establish and convene the 2-1-1 Strategic Advisory Committee. The bill would require the committee to be composed of specified members, including directors of specified state agencies or their designees, representatives of community-based organizations that represent specified vulnerable populations, a member of the public with lived experience in utilizing 2-1-1 services, and city or county officials with knowledge or experience with local 2-1-1 programs and services. The bill would require the committee to, among other things, identify and establish an ongoing funding source for statewide 2-1-1 infrastructure and operations, and recommend policies and priorities to encourage the development of California's 2-1-1 infrastructure. The bill would require the committee's meetings to be open to the public.
Existing federal law, the Victims of Crime Act of 1984, creates the Crime Victims Fund and authorizes federal financial assistance to states for the purpose of supporting eligible crime victim assistance programs. Existing law creates various programs under the Office of Emergency Services related to crime prevention and education, including, among other things, programs concerning family violence prevention and domestic violence prevention. This bill would require the office to allocate funds, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to fill the gap in the federal Victims of Crime Act funding and to prioritize continuity and stability of crime victim services if the federal grant funding that is awarded to the office is 10% or more lower than the amount awarded in the prior year. The bill would require the office to regularly consult, collaborate with, and consider the recommendations regarding allocation of funding from the Victims of Crime Act Steering Committee.
Maddy summaryThis bill designates October 2024 as Menopause Awareness Month in California to highlight the health and societal impacts of menopause on women. It acknowledges that millions of women face symptoms that can affect their daily lives and work, noting that women of color are at higher risk for complications like premature menopause and heart disease. The resolution encourages the state to provide better health information and services to support women's well-being before, during, and after this transition. While the text outlines these goals, the bill itself is a formal recognition rather than a law that creates new funding or mandates specific programs.
Existing law, the California Food Safety Act, prohibits a person or entity from manufacturing, selling, delivering, distributing, holding, or offering for sale in commerce a food product for human consumption that contains a specified substance, including, among others, red dye 3. This bill would require the Office of Environmental Health Hazzard Assessment to conduct a study on the health impacts of the consumption of methylene chloride. The bill would require the office to update its no significant risk level and its maximum allowable level of methylene chloride by January 1, 2026.
Existing federal law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , requires each state to establish an American Health Benefit Exchange to facilitate the purchase of qualified health benefit plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers. PPACA defines a "qualified health plan" as a plan that, among other requirements, provides an essential health benefits package. Existing state law creates the California Health Benefit Exchange, also known as Covered California, to facilitate the enrollment of qualified individuals and qualified small employers in qualified health plans as required under PPACA. Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975 (Knox-Keene) , provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. 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. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. This bill, the California Guaranteed Health Care for All Act, would create the California Guaranteed Health Care for All program, or CalCare, to provide comprehensive universal single-payer health care coverage and a health care cost control system for the benefit of all residents of the state. Under the bill, CalCare would be a health care service plan subject to Knox-Keene. The bill, among other things, would provide that CalCare cover a wide range of medical benefits and other services and would incorporate the health care benefits and standards of other existing federal and state provisions, including the federal Children's Health Insurance Program, Medi-Cal, ancillary health care or social services covered by regional centers for persons with developmental disabilities, Knox-Keene, and the federal Medicare Program. The bill would make specified persons eligible to enroll as CalCare members during the implementation period, and would provide for automatic enrollment. The bill would require the board to seek all necessary waivers, approvals, and agreements to allow various existing federal health care payments to be paid to CalCare, which would then assume responsibility for all benefits and services previously paid for with those funds. This bill would create the CalCare Board to govern CalCare, made up of 9 voting members with demonstrated and acknowledged expertise in health care, and appointed as provided, plus the Secretary of California Health and Human Services or their designee as a nonvoting, ex officio member. The bill would provide the board with all the powers and duties necessary to establish CalCare, including determining when individuals may start enrolling into CalCare, employing necessary staff, negotiating pricing for covered pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, establishing a prescription drug formulary, and negotiating and entering into necessary contracts. The bill would require the board, on or before July 1 of an unspecified year, to conduct and deliver a fiscal analysis to determine whether or not CalCare may be implemented and if revenue is more likely than not to pay for program costs, as specified. The bill would establish an Advisory Commission on Long-Term Services and Supports to advise the board on matters of policy related to long-term services and supports. The bill would require the board to convene a CalCare Public Advisory Committee to advise the board on all matters of policy for CalCare, an Advisory Committee on Public Employees' Retirement System Health Benefits to provide recommendations related to public employee retiree health benefits, and a CalCare Health Workforce Working Group to provide the board with input on issues related to health care workforce education, recruitment, and retention. The bill would establish an Office of Health Equity within CalCare and under the direction of the Director of the Department of Health Care Access and Information to ensure health equity under the program and other health programs of the California Health and Human Services Agency and to support the board through specified actions. This bill would provide for the participation of health care providers in CalCare, including the requirements of a participation agreement between a health care provider and the board, provide for payment for health care items and services, and specify program participation standards. The bill would prohibit a participating provider from discriminating against a person by, among other things, reducing or denying a person's benefits under CalCare because of a specified characteristic, status, or condition of the person. This bill would prohibit a participating provider from billing or entering into a private contract with an individual eligible for CalCare benefits regarding a covered benefit, but would authorize contracting for a health care item or service that is not a covered benefit if specified criteria are met. The bill would authorize health care providers to collectively negotiate fee-for-service rates of payment for health care items and services using a third-party representative, as provided. The bill would require the board to annually determine an institutional provider's global budget, to be used to cover operating expenses related to covered health care items and services for that fiscal year, and would authorize payments under the global budget. This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would develop a revenue plan, taking into consideration anticipated federal revenue available for CalCare. The bill would create the CalCare Trust Fund in the State Treasury, as a continuously appropriated fund, consisting of any federal and state moneys received for the purposes of the act. The bill would specify uses for moneys in the CalCare budget, including special projects for which not-for-profit or governmental entities may apply. Because the bill would create a continuously appropriated fund, it would make an appropriation. This bill would prohibit specified provisions of this act from becoming operative until the Secretary of California Health and Human Services gives written notice to the Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Clerk of the Assembly that the CalCare Trust Fund has the revenues to fund the costs of implementing the act. The California Health and Human Services Agency would be required to publish a copy of the notice on its internet website. 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.