Joint powers agreements: health care services.

(1) Existing law, the Joint Exercise of Powers Act, authorizes 2 or more public agencies by agreement to exercise any power common to the contracting parties, subject to meeting certain conditions with respect to that agreement. Existing law authorizes a private, nonprofit corporation, until January 1, 2032, formed for the purposes of providing services to zero-emission transportation systems or facilities, to join a joint powers authority or enter into a joint powers agreement with a public agency to facilitate the development, construction, and operation of zero-emission transportation systems or facilities that lower greenhouse gases, reduce vehicle congestion and vehicle miles traveled, and improve public transit connections. This bill, until January 1, 2034, would authorize one or more private, nonprofit mutual benefit corporations formed for purposes of providing health care services to join a joint powers authority or enter into a joint powers agreement with one or more public entities established under the act, as specified. The bill would deem any joint powers authority formed pursuant to this provision to be a public entity, except that the authority would not have the power to incur debt or to engage in specified other acts, including employing physicians and surgeons or charging for professional services rendered by physicians and surgeons. The bill would require an authority formed to be governed by a board of directors, composed as determined by the participating public agency or agencies. The bill would prohibit the representation of private, nonprofit mutual benefit corporations on the board of directors from exceeding 50%. The bill would define terms for its purposes. (2) Existing law sets forth requirements for the solicitation and evaluation of bids and the awarding of contracts by public entities, including requirements applicable if the public entity is required by statute or regulation to obtain an enforceable commitment that a bidder, contractor, or other entity will use a skilled and trained workforce, as defined, to complete a contract or project. Except as specified, existing law requires that, for workers employed on public works, as defined, not less than the general prevailing rate of per diem wages, determined as provided by the Director of Industrial Relations, for work of a similar character in the locality in which the public work is performed be paid to those workers, as provided. This bill, except as specified, would require a joint powers authority formed pursuant to the bill, when undertaking a project applicable to the construction or refurbishment of health facilities, to obtain an enforceable commitment that any entity undertaking the project will use a skilled and trained workforce. The bill would require a private entity performing the work on a project for the joint powers authority to certify, in writing and under penalty of perjury, that prevailing wages will be paid to workers on the project, as provided, and that a skilled and trained workforce will be used to perform all construction work on the project. By requiring private entities performing work on a project under these provisions to certify this information, thereby expanding the scope of the crime of perjury, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) 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.