Public contracts: public health agencies.

Existing law requires a state agency to comply with specified procedures in awarding agency contracts. This bill would prohibit, with specified exceptions, a state agency authorized to enter into contracts relating to public benefit programs from contracting for services provided by a call center that directly serves applicants for, recipients of, or enrollees in, those public benefit programs with a contractor or subcontractor unless that contractor or subcontractor certifies in its bid for the contract that the contract, and any subcontract performed under that contract, will be performed solely with workers employed in California. This bill would impose a civil penalty, as provided, for knowingly providing false information in that certification. This bill would also require the contract to include a clause providing for a right by the state to terminate the contract for noncompliance and specified penalties, if the contractor or subcontractor performs the contract or the subcontract with workers not employed in California during the life of the contract. This bill would allow a state agency to conduct a solicitation without applying the provisions described above if the California Health and Human Services Agency or the board of the California Health Benefit Exchange makes certain determinations, including if a prior solicitation was conducted and the bids received were priced unreasonably high as a result of including these provisions.