Rep. Daneya Esgar

Through the end of 2021, the act allows members of a party central committee or vacancy committee to participate in a committee meeting remotely, including by casting the member's vote by e-mail, mail, telephone, or through an internet-based application if allowed by the party's rules.The act permits a state senate, state house of representatives, or county commissioner district committee to hold a meeting to address organizational or administrative matters separate from a meeting of the state or county central committee. A member of a district committee may participate in a separate meeting by remote means if such remote participation has been approved by the chair and vice-chair of the district committee.The act permits a state party central committee or state party executive committee to adopt party rules or bylaws to implement the bill's remote participation provisions. The act also permits a member of the state party central committee or state party executive committee considering such rules or bylaws to participate remotely in a meeting in which the rules or bylaws are being considered.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act establishes triannual meetings, which take place in March, August, and December, whereby members of the executive committee of the legislative council and the joint budget committee (committees) are able to receive information from the executive branch related to a disaster if the governor has declared a disaster emergency since the 1st day of the month for the last required meeting. During the meeting, the governor or his or her designee must appear before the committees to provide information of a comprehensive nature and respond to questions from the committees with respect to the disaster emergency. The governor and any state agency is also required to promptly give notice to the general assembly of the promulgation of any executive order or other order by the governor or the agency, as applicable, issued in connection with the disaster emergency. The office of state planning and budgeting is required to provide quarterly reports to the joint budget committee about the expenditures from the disaster emergency fund (fund) and to post the reports on the office's website. The office is also required to prepare quarterly reports of federal funds that the state receives and spends. The state auditor is required to conduct or cause to be conducted a performance audit of the fund that is completed on December 1, 2022. Thereafter, the state auditor is required to conduct a biennial financial audit of the fund for the 2 most recently completed fiscal years. The act extends the repeal date for the authority to transfer spending authority between line items in specified circumstances from September 1, 2020, to September 1, 2025, and similarly extends the repeal date for the provision permitting overexpenditures in excess of the amount authorized by an item of appropriation in limited circumstances, including for medicaid programs. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

The act aligns the requirements for a minor to obtain a new birth certificate from the state registrar and a new driver's license or identification card from the department of revenue with the requirements for an adult. A minor must also obtain a statement from a medical or mental health professional confirming that the minor's sex designation does not align with the minor's gender identity. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

Under current law, the department of public health and environment (department) receives pharmaceutical rebates for money it receives based on charges in excess of a federal price agreement related to the state's operation of a drug assistance program to assist individuals with lower incomes who have medical or preventive needs regarding AIDS or HIV (state program). The rebates are designated in statute as donations. The act removes the statutory designation of the rebates as a donation and creates a cash fund into which the rebates are credited for continuous appropriation to the department for the state program. The cash fund is exempted from the statutory limit on uncommitted reserves in a cash fund. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)