Developmental services.

(1) Existing law vests in the State Department of Developmental Services jurisdiction over various state hospitals, referred to as developmental centers, for the provision of care to persons with developmental disabilities. Existing law prohibits the admission of a person to a developmental center except under certain circumstances, including when the person is experiencing an acute crisis and is committed by a court to the acute crisis center at the Fairview Developmental Center or the Sonoma Developmental Center. Under existing law, if a regional center determines, or is informed by a consumer's parents, legal guardian, conservator, or authorized representative that the community placement of a consumer is at risk of failing, and that admittance to a developmental center or department-operated facility is a likelihood, or the regional center is notified by a court of a potential admission to a developmental center, the regional center is required to immediately notify the appropriate regional resource development project, the consumer, the consumer's parents, legal guardian, or conservator, and the regional center clients' rights advocate. Existing law defines the acute crisis center at the Fairview Developmental Center and the acute crisis center at the Sonoma Developmental Center to each consist of one unit that is distinct from other residential units at the developmental center and serves no more than 5 consumers. This bill would revise the provisions relating to the failure of community placement and admittance to a developmental center or department-operated facility, to instead refer to an acute crisis home operated by the department. The bill would include the acute crisis centers at the Fairview Developmental Center and the Sonoma Developmental Center within the definition of an acute crisis home operated by the department for those purposes. The bill would also make technical, nonsubstantive changes. Existing law also authorizes admittance to the secure treatment facility at Porterville Developmental Center only when specified conditions are satisfied, including, among others, that the individual is at least 18 years of age. This bill would also require, as a condition of admittance to that facility, the regional center to notify the regional resource development project and other specified individuals of the potential admission, and would require the regional resource development project to complete an assessment of the individual's services and supports needs. (2) Existing law requires the department to contract with regional centers to provide services and supports to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. Existing law makes confidential all information and records obtained in the course of providing intake, assessment, and services to a person with a developmental disability by a regional center or state developmental center, unless disclosure is expressly authorized. Existing law expressly authorizes disclosure of this information to a regional center clients' rights advocate when a comprehensive assessment is conducted or updated. This bill would authorize disclosure to the regional center clients' rights advocate, unless the consumer objects on his or her own behalf, for the purpose of providing advocacy pursuant to specified provisions of law. (3) Existing law requires the department to establish and implement a statewide Self-Determination Program that would be available in every regional center catchment area to provide participants and their families, within an individual budget, increased flexibility and choice, and greater control over decisions, resources, and needed and desired services and supports to implement their individual program plan (IPP) . Existing law requires specified federal funds to be used to offset the cost to the department for criminal background checks for providers and to offset the costs to the regional centers in implementing the Self-Determination Program, as specified. This bill would additionally require those federal funds to be used to maximize the ability of Self-Determination Program participants to direct their own lives and ensure the department and regional centers successfully implement the program. The bill would require the department to prepare a report to the Legislature, as part of the budget process for the 2019–20 fiscal year, summarizing how the funds were utilized. (4) Existing law permits regional centers to purchase in-home respite services in order to obtain specified services for a client living in his or her own home. Existing law requires a regional center to include specified information on its Internet Web site for the purpose of promoting transparency and access to public information, including, among other things, records related to the purchase of service policies and the names, types of service, and contact information of all vendors, as specified. This bill would additionally require each regional center to include on its Internet Web site any procedures and assessment tools used by the regional center to determine the level of respite services needed by each consumer. (5) The bill would appropriate $1,500,000 from the General Fund to the department to fund a contract awarded for the Best Buddies Program. (6) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.