Existing law, until July 3, 2010, or earlier upon a specified finding, established the Rural Health Care Equity Program for the purpose of funding the subsidization and reimbursement of premium costs, deductibles, coinsurance, and other out-of-pocket health care expenses paid by state employees of State Bargaining Unit 5 living in rural areas, as defined. Existing law provided for funding and reimbursement provisions for purposes of the program. Existing law provided that the program would be operative only to the extent that funding was provided in the annual Budget Act or another statute and solely for the benefit of employees of State Bargaining Unit 5. The bill would reestablish the Rural Health Care Equity Program until January 1, 2015, or to an earlier date upon a specified finding, and would extend the benefits to all employees and annuitants living in rural areas. This bill would provide that the program would be operative only to the extent that funding is provided in the annual Budget Act.
Sponsored bills
The California Constitution authorizes the Legislature to classify personal property for differential taxation or for exemption by means of a statute approved by a 23 vote of the membership of each house. This bill would, pursuant to this constitutional authorization, impose a tax on every qualified rentee, as defined, of qualified heavy equipment, as defined, for the privilege of renting qualified heavy equipment in this state at the rate of ____% of the gross receipts of the rental price from the renting of qualified heavy equipment. This bill would require a qualified renter to collect the tax from the qualified rentee at the time of rental, as provided. This bill would provide that this tax shall be in lieu of any personal property tax on qualified heavy equipment. This bill would require the tax to be administered by the State Board of Equalization and to be collected pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Fee Collection Procedures Law. This bill would require all revenues, interest, penalties, and other amounts, less refunds and the board's costs of administration, derived from the imposition of the tax to be deposited in the Heavy Equipment Revenue Fund in the State Treasury, established by this bill. This bill would require all revenues in the fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to be used to reimburse local entities for their loss of property tax revenues resulting from this bill. This bill would allow the Director of Finance to authorize a loan from the General Fund to the board to meet cash needs resulting from the delay in receipt of revenues into the Heavy Equipment Revenue Fund, provided the loan is repaid from the Heavy Equipment Revenue Fund, as provided. By expanding the application of the Fee Collection Procedures Law, the violation of which is 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. Section 2229 of the Revenue and Taxation Code requires the Legislature 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 Section 2229 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, no appropriation is made and the state shall not reimburse local agencies for property tax revenues lost by them pursuant to the bill. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy, but its operative date would depend on its effective date.
Under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , each state is required, by January 1, 2014, to establish an American Health Benefit Exchange that makes available qualified health plans to qualified individuals and small employers. Existing state law establishes the California Health Benefit Exchange (Exchange) within state government, specifies the powers and duties of the board governing the Exchange, and requires the board to facilitate the purchase of qualified health plans through the Exchange by qualified individuals and small employers by January 1, 2014. Existing law creates the continuously appropriated California Health Trust Fund, which consists of charges on the qualified health plans offered by carriers to support the development, operations, and prudent cash management of the Exchange. This bill would, to the extent permitted by federal law, require the board to also facilitate the purchase of qualified health plans through the Exchange by multiemployer plans, as defined, no later than July 1, 2014. By expanding the purpose for which moneys in the California Health Trust Fund may be used, this bill would make an appropriation.
Existing law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , requires a health insurance issuer that offers coverage in the small group or individual market to ensure that such coverage, with respect to plan years on or after January 1, 2014, includes the essential health benefits package, which is defined to include pediatric oral care benefits. PPACA requires each state to, by January 1, 2014, establish an American Health Benefit Exchange that facilitates the purchase of qualified health plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers, as specified, and requires an exchange to allow an issuer to offer stand-alone dental plans in the exchange, provided that the plans cover the pediatric oral care benefits required under the essential health benefits package. Existing law establishes the California Health Benefit Exchange (Exchange) to facilitate the purchase of qualified health plans through the Exchange by qualified individuals and qualified small employers by January 1, 2014. 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 a health care service plan and a health insurer to comply with minimum medical loss ratios and to provide an annual rebate to each insured if the medical loss ratio is less than a certain percentage, as specified. This bill would require a specialized health care service plan contract and specialized health insurance policy that provides pediatric oral care benefits, whether or not it is bundled with a qualified health plan or standing alone, to also comply with minimum medical loss ratios and provide an annual rebate, as specified. Existing law requires the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance to promulgate regulations applicable to health care service plans and specified health insurers, respectively, to ensure that enrollees and insureds have the opportunity to access needed health care services in a timely manner, and to ensure adequacy of numbers of professional providers and institutional providers. Existing law requires health care service plans and health insurance policies to file specified rate information with the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance, respectively, at least 60 days before implementing a rate change. This bill would specify that those provisions would also apply to a specialized health care service plan and specialized health insurance policy that provides pediatric oral care benefits, whether or not it is bundled with a qualified health plan or standing alone. Because a willful violation of the bill's provisions 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. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Existing law requires the California Health and Human Services Agency, in consultation with specified entities, to establish a single, standardized, accessible application form and related renewal procedures for insurance affordability programs, as defined, in accordance with specified requirements. Existing law authorizes the form to include questions that are voluntary for applicants to answer regarding demographic data categories, including race, ethnicity, primary language, disability status, and other categories recognized by the federal Secretary of Health and Human Services pursuant to federal law. This bill would authorize the form to also include questions that are voluntary for applicants to answer regarding sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. The bill would, effective January 1, 2016, require the form to include questions that are voluntary for applicants to answer regarding those demographic data categories.
Existing law empowers the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to formulate stabilization and marketing plans that establish the prices to be paid by milk handlers for specified classes of market milk. Existing law requires the secretary to take relevant economic factors into consideration in establishing the price to be paid for class 4b market milk, which comprises all market milk, market skim milk, or market cream used in the manufacture of cheese other than cottage cheese. This bill would make specified legislative findings and declarations regarding challenges faced by the dairy industry and would state specified intents of the Legislature.
The Medi-Cal Act establishes 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 requires, except as otherwise provided, Medi-Cal provider payments to be reduced by 1% or 5%, and provider payments for specified non-Medi-Cal programs to be reduced by 1%, for dates of service on and after March 1, 2009, and until June 1, 2011. Existing law requires, except as otherwise provided, Medi-Cal provider payments and payments for specified non-Medi-Cal programs to be reduced by 10% for dates of service on and after June 1, 2011. This bill would instead require that, to the extent permitted by federal law, this payment reduction not apply to skilled nursing facilities or subacute care units that are a distinct part of a general acute care hospital, intermediate care or other specified facilities serving developmentally disabled individuals, or specified Medi-Cal provider payments for fee-for-service benefits, including payments to pharmacies, for dates of service on or after June 1, 2011. The bill would also provide that this payment reduction shall not apply to managed health care plans for dates of service after the effective date of the bill. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
This measure would encourage all Californians to make themselves and their families aware of the risk of food allergies and preventative measures, and to educate themselves regarding emergency responses and would declare September as Food Allergy Awareness Month.
This measure would designate that January 20, 2014, be observed as the official memorial of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birth and commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement in changing public policy in California and in the United States of America. This measure would also recognize the anniversaries of the Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington in connection with the advancement of civil rights.