AB 1882 California Assembly · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Safe Delivery Fund Pilot Program.

Summary

Existing law establishes the Department of Health Care Access and Information to oversee and administer various health programs, including, among others, the California Reproductive Health Equity Program. Under existing law, this program provides grant funding to safety net providers of abortion and contraception services to offset the costs of providing uncompensated care to patients with low incomes who would otherwise lack access to care. Existing law establishes the California Reproductive Health Equity Fund, and, within the limits of funds available, authorizes the department to award grants that, in the department's judgment, best promote the purposes of the program. This bill would establish the Safe Delivery Fund Pilot Program, until January 1, 2030, which would be administered by the department to provide funding to hospitals to offset uncompensated standby costs associated with maintaining specialty physician coverage, advanced practice provider coverage, and hospital staffing necessary to safely provide deliveries and related inpatient specialty services. The bill would require a hospital to meet specified requirements to qualify for the program, including, among other things, that the hospital can demonstrate that the hospital serves a geographically isolated population and that loss of obstetric services would significantly impact access to maternity care. This bill would establish the Safe Delivery Fund, and would require moneys in the fund to be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the department for the purposes of the program. The bill would require the hospital to use the funds from the program for salaries, benefits, insurance, contracted physician compensation, contracted advanced practice provider compensation, or other expenses attributable to maintaining standby clinical capacity. The bill would require the program to reimburse a hospital quarterly based on the number of deliveries performed per day using a specified schedule. The bill would prohibit the department from awarding a hospital more than $5,000,000 per year. This bill would require a participating hospital, by April 1, 2027, and quarterly thereafter, to submit to the department specified data, including, among other things, maintenance of specialty staffing and service availability. The bill would authorize the department to conduct annual audits or program reviews, as specified. The bill would require a hospital to meet all of the program requirements for continued participation in the program.

Bill status passed both 4 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Aug 2026

Assembly Passage

May 2026

Senate Passage

Aug 2026

Governor

Introduced Feb 12, 2026 Last action Aug 27, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

08/24/26 - Enrolled → AB1882 · 1 edit

MINOR

No substantive policy changes were made between these two versions of AB 1882. The diff reflects a change in document presentation format only: the 'From' version is the formal enrolled bill with traditional legislative formatting (page numbers, clerk signatures, approval block), while the 'To' version is a web-based rendering from the California Legislature website that adds navigation elements and restructures the layout. All statutory text, eligibility criteria, funding amounts, reimbursement schedules, and sunset dates are identical.

TECHNICAL

The document was reformatted from a traditional enrolled bill layout (with page numbers, clerk signatures, and approval block) to a web-based display format that includes website navigation elements such as search bars, menu links, and share buttons. No legislative language was altered.

02/12/26 - Introduced → 03/19/26 - Amended Assembly · 7 edits · Mar 19, 2026

MODERATE

AB 1882 was substantially expanded from a minor technical zoning amendment for small drug treatment facilities into a major new hospital funding program called the Safe Delivery Fund Pilot Program. The amended bill adds an entirely new chapter to the Health and Safety Code establishing grants for critical access hospitals in geographically isolated areas to offset the uncompensated costs of maintaining 24/7 obstetric and related specialty services, with a per-hospital annual cap of $5 million. The original technical amendment to Section 11834.23 is retained as a secondary provision.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded dramatically from a single technical zoning amendment for small drug treatment facilities to a comprehensive new hospital funding program for rural maternity care, while retaining the original technical amendment as a secondary provision. The bill now covers both alcohol/drug treatment facility zoning (minor) and a new statewide pilot program for critical access hospitals providing obstetric services (major).

SCOPE

Added an entirely new Chapter 6.3 (Sections 127650-127654) to Part 2 of Division 107 of the Health and Safety Code establishing the Safe Delivery Fund Pilot Program, administered by the Department of Health Care Access and Information.

ELIGIBILITY

Established eligibility criteria for participating hospitals: must be a critical access hospital providing obstetric services, located at least 75 miles from the nearest tertiary hospital, performing no more than 225 inpatient surgeries annually, maintaining 24/7/365 clinical readiness for inpatient general surgery, labor and delivery with nursery beds, and inpatient pediatrics, holding active state licensure and federal CMS certification, maintaining a valid Medi-Cal contract, and demonstrating service to a geographically isolated population where loss of obstetric services would significantly impact maternity care access.

FISCAL

Established the Safe Delivery Fund with a per-hospital annual cap of $5,000,000. Funds must be used for salaries, benefits, insurance, contracted physician and advanced practice provider compensation, or other expenses attributable to maintaining standby clinical capacity. Moneys are available upon legislative appropriation.

Changed the fiscal committee designation from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the bill now has fiscal implications requiring fiscal committee review.

REQUIREMENT

Created a quarterly reimbursement schedule based on daily delivery volume: $25,000 for zero deliveries, $18,500 for one, $12,000 for two, $5,500 for three, and $0 for four or more. Standby costs are calculated annually using prior-year Medicare or Medi-Cal cost reports.

ENFORCEMENT

Required participating hospitals to submit quarterly data starting April 1, 2027, including delivery counts, specialty staffing maintenance, quality metrics (at minimum three maternal and infant indicators), and cost verification. Authorized the department to conduct annual audits or program reviews. Hospitals must meet all program requirements for continued participation.

TIMELINE

Set a sunset date of January 1, 2030, at which point the entire Safe Delivery Fund Pilot Program chapter is repealed.

Floor votes · Senate Aug 20, 2026 · Assembly May 26, 2026

How they voted

39–0

Passed · 1 other

Total votes 40

Aug 20, 2026

D Democratic30

29 Yea 1

96% Yea

R Republican10

10 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Aug 20, 2026

Lower · Passed

In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.

lower

Aug 20, 2026

Upper · Passed

Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0.).

upper

Aug 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 13).

upper

Aug 3, 2026

Committee

In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

upper

Jul 2, 2026

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (July 1). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

upper

Jun 3, 2026

Committee

Referred to Com. on HEALTH.

upper

May 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 77. Noes 0.)

lower

May 14, 2026

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (May 14).

lower

May 6, 2026

Committee

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

lower

Apr 22, 2026

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (April 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

lower

Mar 23, 2026

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.

lower

Mar 19, 2026

Introduced

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

lower

Mar 19, 2026

Committee

Referred to Com. on HEALTH.

lower

Feb 13, 2026

Lower · Passed

From printer. May be heard in committee March 15.

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors