AB 1196 California Assembly · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Health facilities: cardiac surgery.

Summary

Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health facilities, including general acute care hospitals, by the State Department of Public Health. Existing law authorizes a general acute care hospital to be approved to offer special services, including, among others, cardiac surgery. Existing regulation requires, when a general acute care hospital is providing cardiovascular operative service, that a minimum of 3 surgeons constitute a surgical team if the procedure requires extracorporeal bypass. This bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2029, to update that regulation to reflect current professional standards of care relating to extracorporeal bypass surgery.

Bill status failed 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 21, 2025 Last action Feb 2, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

03/17/25 - Amended Assembly → 05/01/25 - Amended Assembly · 3 edits · May 1, 2025

MINOR

AB 1196 was significantly narrowed in scope. The May 1 version removes all amendments to Health and Safety Code Section 1317 (emergency services at health facilities) that were present in the March 17 version, leaving only the addition of new Section 1255.4 on cardiac surgery staffing. A new provision was also added requiring the Department of Public Health to update its regulations by January 1, 2029 to reflect current professional standards of care for extracorporeal bypass surgery.

Scope change

The bill was narrowed from a two-part measure (amending emergency services law in Section 1317 plus adding cardiac surgery staffing rules in new Section 1255.4) to a single-purpose bill focused exclusively on cardiac surgery staffing requirements and regulatory updates for extracorporeal bypass procedures.

SCOPE

All amendments to Section 1317 of the Health and Safety Code were removed. This eliminated provisions covering emergency services obligations, non-discrimination in emergency care, liability protections for refusal to treat, payment requirements, transfer rules, rescue team definitions, and related duties. The bill no longer touches emergency department operations.

REQUIREMENT

A new requirement was added that by January 1, 2029, the Department of Public Health must update Section 70435(b)(2) of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations to reflect current professional standards of care relating to extracorporeal bypass surgery. This is a forward-looking regulatory update obligation not present in the prior version.

FISCAL

The fiscal committee designation and state-mandated local program designation were changed, reflecting the reduced scope of the bill after removing the Section 1317 emergency services amendments.

02/21/25 - Introduced → 03/17/25 - Amended Assembly · 4 edits · Mar 17, 2025

MODERATE

The amendment adds a new Section 1255.4 to the Health and Safety Code that changes cardiac surgery staffing requirements at general acute care hospitals. Instead of requiring a minimum of three surgeons for cardiovascular procedures using extracorporeal bypass, the bill now allows a team of one surgeon plus two physician's assistants or registered nurses who meet specified regulatory qualifications. The remaining changes to Section 1317 are technical and nonsubstantive (fixing drafting errors and updating pronouns).

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from purely technical amendments to emergency services provisions (Section 1317) to also include a new substantive staffing requirement for cardiac surgery at general acute care hospitals (new Section 1255.4).

REQUIREMENT

New Section 1255.4 requires that when a general acute care hospital performs cardiac surgery, the surgical team for all cardiovascular operative procedures requiring extracorporeal bypass must include at least one surgeon (meeting Title 22 CCR Section 70435(b)(1) requirements) and two additional individuals who are either physician's assistants or registered nurses meeting Title 22 CCR Sections 70706 and 70706.1 requirements. This replaces the prior regulatory requirement of a minimum of three surgeons.

TIMELINE

The State Department of Public Health must amend its regulations to be consistent with the new section by January 1, 2027.

FISCAL

Fiscal committee review changed from 'no' to 'yes' and state-mandated local program changed from 'no' to 'yes' because the bill now changes the definition of a crime. A no-reimbursement provision was added under Article XIII B of the California Constitution.

TECHNICAL

Section 1317 received technical corrections: fixed a duplicated word ('when if' changed to 'if'), cleaned up garbled language in subdivisions (b) and (c), and replaced 'his or her' with 'their' throughout for gender-neutral language.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Feb 2, 2026

Lower · Passed

From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

lower

May 23, 2025

Lower · Passed

In committee: Held under submission.

lower

May 14, 2025

Committee

In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

lower

May 5, 2025

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

lower

May 1, 2025

Lower · Passed

Read second time and amended.

lower

Apr 30, 2025

Introduced

From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (April 29).

lower

Mar 18, 2025

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.

lower

Mar 17, 2025

Introduced

From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. Read second time and amended.

lower

Mar 17, 2025

Committee

Referred to Com. on HEALTH.

lower

Feb 22, 2025

Lower · Passed

From printer. May be heard in committee March 24.

lower

Feb 21, 2025

Introduced

Introduced. To print.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors