This measure would proclaim the month of October 2019, and each following October, as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
This measure would proclaim September 29, 2019, as Gold Star Mothers' and Families' Day.
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 health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies to provide coverage for specified benefits. This bill, known as the Let California Kids Hear Act, would require a health care service plan contract or a health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after July 1, 2020, to include coverage for hearing aids, as defined, for an enrollee or insured under 18 years of age. The bill would require the coverage to be performed by contracted providers, except as specified. The bill would require the contracted providers to include a pediatric audiologist for children under 5 years of age. The bill would require hearing aids covered under the bill to be subject to the cost sharing imposed by the plan contract or health insurance policy for durable medical equipment, as specified. Because a willful violation of these requirements by a health care service plan would be a crime, 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Existing law generally regulates the business of insurance in the state, including life insurance. Existing law provides for the escheat to the state of unclaimed personal property, including funds owed under a life insurance policy or annuity contract if the funds are unclaimed and unpaid for more than 3 years after the funds became payable. This bill, the Unclaimed Life Insurance and Annuities Act, would provide standards for identifying a deceased individual whose death may require an insurer to pay benefits or proceeds to beneficiaries in accordance with the terms of a life insurance policy, annuity contract, or retained asset account, for locating those beneficiaries, and for providing those beneficiaries with appropriate claims forms or instructions to make a claim. The bill would require an insurer to match its insureds with deceased individuals in the United States Social Security Administration's Death Master File by complying with specified requirements, including searching exact matches and variations of insureds' names, social security numbers, individual taxpayer identification numbers, and dates of birth. If an insurer is not contacted by a beneficiary within 120 days of the insurer's establishing its knowledge of death of an insured, the bill would require the insurer to conduct a thorough search for a beneficiary, to be completed within one year. The bill would require an insurer to provide appropriate claims forms or instructions to a beneficiary within 15 days of locating the beneficiary. The bill would require an insurer to escheat the proceeds of a policy, annuity contract, or retained asset account to the state if a beneficiary cannot be found after a thorough search. A failure to meet the bill's requirements knowingly or with the frequency to constitute a general practice would be an unfair and deceptive act, punishable by civil penalty.
This measure would proclaim the week of September 23, 2019, to September 29, 2019, as Diaper Need Awareness Week and encourage California citizens to support organizations that help alleviate diaper need.
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. Existing law provides that federally qualified health center (FQHC) services and rural health clinic (RHC) services, as defined, are covered benefits under the Medi-Cal program, to be reimbursed, to the extent that federal financial participation is obtained, to providers on a per-visit basis. "Visit" is defined as a face-to-face encounter between a patient of an FQHC or RHC and specified health care professionals, including a physician and marriage and family therapist. Under existing law, "physician," for these purposes, includes, but is not limited to, a physician and surgeon, an osteopath, and a podiatrist. This bill would authorize reimbursement for a maximum of 2 visits taking place on the same day at a single location if after the first visit the patient suffers illness or injury requiring additional diagnosis or treatment, or if the patient has a medical visit and a mental health visit or a dental visit, as defined. The bill would authorize an FQHC or RHC that currently includes the cost of a medical visit and a mental health visit that take place on the same day at a single location as a single visit for purposes of establishing the FQHC's or RHC's rate to apply for an adjustment to its per-visit rate, and after the department has approved that rate adjustment, to bill a medical visit and a mental health visit that take place on the same day at a single location as separate visits, in accordance with the bill. This bill would also include a licensed acupuncturist within those health care professionals covered under the definition of "visit." The bill would require the department, by July 1, 2020, to submit a state plan amendment to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reflect certain changes described in the bill, and to seek necessary federal approvals. The bill would also make conforming and technical changes.
This measure would urge the Congress and the President of the United States to work together to enact the robust bipartisan federal infrastructure legislation necessary to restore California's and other states' crumbling road and freight infrastructure, respond to growing traffic congestion, and increase investment in public transportation, most particularly, by expanding paratransit services for the elderly and those with special needs. The measure would additionally urge the Congress and the President of the United States to address the shortfall in the federal Highway Trust Fund by restoring the lost purchasing power of the federal fuel tax, in order to provide the long-term funding stability necessary for California and other states.
Existing law provides for the payment of unemployment compensation benefits to eligible persons who are unemployed through no fault of their own. Unemployment compensation benefits are paid from the Unemployment Fund, which is continuously appropriated for this purpose. Existing law defines "employment," for purposes of determining eligibility for unemployment compensation benefits, to mean service, including service in interstate commerce, performed by an employee for wages under any contract of hire, written or oral, express or implied. Existing law provides that employment includes an individual's entire service, performed within, or both within and without this state, if the service is either (1) localized in the state, or (2) not localized in the state, some of the service is performed in the state and one of 2 requirements are met, including that the base of operations or place from which such service is directed or controlled is not in any state in which some part of the service is performed but the individual's residence is in this state. The bill would provide, for purposes of determining employment of a motion picture production worker when the service is not localized in the state but some of the service is performed in the state, that the worker's entire service qualifies as employment if their residence is in the state. Existing law provides that as individual's service is localized in a state for purposes of unemployment compensation benefits as described above, if the service is either performed entirely within the state or performed within and outside the state and the service outside the state is incidental to the service performed within the state. Existing law further provides that service is incidental for these purposes if it is temporary or transitory in nature, or only consists of isolated transactions. The bill would provide that service performed by a motion picture production worker outside the state will be considered temporary or transitory for the purposes described above if the worker is a resident of the state, is hired and dispatched from the state, and intends to return to the state to seek reemployment at the conclusion of the assignment outside the state. The bill would also provide legislative findings and declarations in support of these provisions. Because this bill would expand the number of persons who are eligible for benefits from the Unemployment Fund, which is a continuously appropriated fund, it would make an appropriation.
Existing law requires every peace officer to participate in expanded training prescribed by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training that includes and examines evidence-based patterns, practices, and protocols that make up racial and identity profiling, including implicit bias. Once basic training is completed, existing law requires specified peace officers to complete a refresher course on racial and identity profiling at least every 5 years. This bill would require those peace officers currently required to take the refresher course every 5 years, and additional peace officers, as specified, to instead take refresher training on racial and identity profiling, including the understanding of implicit bias and the promotion of bias-reducing strategies, at least every 2 years. The bill would require this training to include implicit association testing before and after the training. By imposing additional training duties on local law enforcement entities, 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.
