(1) The Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA) prohibits a provider of health care, a health care service plan, a contractor, or a corporation and its subsidiaries and affiliates from intentionally sharing, selling, using for marketing, or otherwise using any medical information, as defined, for any purpose not necessary to provide health care services to a patient, except as provided. The CMIA prohibits a provider of health care, health care service plan, or contractor from disclosing medical information regarding a patient of the provider of health care or an enrollee or subscriber of a health care service plan without first obtaining authorization from the patient, except if the disclosure is compelled by, among other things, a search warrant lawfully issued to a governmental law enforcement agency or a court order. Existing law makes a violation of these provisions that results in economic loss or personal injury to a patient punishable as a misdemeanor. This bill would revise the definition of "medical information" to include immigration status, including current and prior immigration status, and place of birth, if that information is known or collected, as specified, and would define "immigration enforcement" to mean any and all efforts to investigate, enforce, or assist in the investigation or enforcement of any federal civil immigration law, and also includes any and all efforts to investigate, enforce, or assist in the investigation or enforcement of any federal criminal immigration law that penalizes a person's presence in, entry or reentry to, or employment in, the United States. The bill would specify that a provider of health care, health care service plan, or contractor shall disclose medical information regarding a patient of the provider of health care or an enrollee or subscriber or a health care service plan pursuant to a valid search warrant issued by a judicial officer, including a magistrate, to a governmental law enforcement agency, or pursuant to a state or federal court order issued by a court of this state or a federal court. The bill would also prohibit, except to the extent expressly authorized by a patient, enrollee, or subscriber, or as otherwise permitted or required, a provider of health care, health care service plan, contractor, or corporation and its subsidiaries and affiliates from disclosing medical information for immigration enforcement. Because the bill would expand the scope of a crime, it would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Under existing law, the State Department of Public Health is responsible for the licensing and regulation of various facilities and settings that provide health care services, as specified. Existing law makes a willful violation of these provisions a crime. This bill would require health care provider entities, as defined, to establish or amend procedures for monitoring, documenting, and receiving visitors to health care provider entities to the extent possible. The bill would require health care provider entity personnel to immediately notify health care provider entity management, administration, or legal counsel of any request for access to a health care provider entity site or patient for immigration enforcement, and to provide any requests for review of health care provider entity documents, as prescribed. The bill would prohibit, unless required by state or federal law, a health care provider entity and its personnel from allowing any person access to nonpublic areas of the provider's facilities for immigration enforcement purposes, except as specified. The bill would require health care provider entities to inform staff and relevant volunteers on how to respond to requests relating to immigration enforcement that grants access to health care provider entity sites or to patients. The bill would require that health care provider entities comply with these provisions within 45 days from their effective date. By expanding the scope of a crime and increasing duties on local health officials, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
(1) Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, establishes the Medical Board of California and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the licensure and regulation of physicians and surgeons. Existing law establishes the Osteopathic Medical Board of California and sets forth its powers and duties relating to the licensure and regulation of osteopathic physicians and surgeons consistent with the Osteopathic Act, as specified. This bill would require those boards to require each applicant to furnish a full set of fingerprints for purposes of conducting criminal history record checks. The bill would require the board to submit those fingerprint images and related information to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and would require the DOJ to charge a fee for those costs, as prescribed. Existing law requires medical school graduates, within 180 days after beginning a board-approved postgraduate program, to obtain a physician's and surgeon's postgraduate training license. Existing law requires each application to include either fingerprint cards or a copy of a completed Live Scan form from the applicant in order to establish the identity of the applicant and whether the applicant has a criminal conviction, in accordance with specified provisions. This bill would delete the above provisions on using that information in order to establish the applicant's identity and criminal conviction records. The bill would instead require those boards to submit to the DOJ fingerprint images and related information required by the DOJ of all applicants to determine whether the applicant has a criminal conviction record, as specified. The bill would require the DOJ to provide a state- and federal-level response, as described. Existing law requires each application for a medical license to contain specified information including either fingerprint cards or a copy of a completed Live Scan form from the applicant in order to establish the applicant's identity and criminal conviction records. This bill would delete the above provisions on using that information in order to establish the applicant's identity and criminal conviction records. The bill would instead require those boards to submit to the DOJ fingerprint images and related information required by the DOJ of all applicants to determine whether the applicant has a criminal conviction record, as specified. The bill would require the DOJ to provide a state- and federal-level response, as described. Existing law establishes a process for physicians who are not citizens but who meet certain postgraduate requirements to participate in professional activities of approved medical schools or academic medical centers, subject to completing an application process and submitting the requisite fees established by the board. This bill would require the board to submit to the DOJ fingerprint images and related information to determine if an applicant has a criminal conviction record, as specified. The bill would require the DOJ to provide a state- and federal-level response, as described. Existing law establishes a process for a person who does not immediately qualify for a physician's and surgeon's certificate and who is offered a full-time faculty position at a medical school or academic medical center to be granted a certificate to engage in the practice of medicine. Existing law requires an applicant to submit specified information to the board to qualify for the certificate. This bill would require the board to submit to the DOJ fingerprint images and related information to determine whether an applicant has a criminal conviction record, as specified. The bill would require the DOJ to provide a specified response, as described. Existing law establishes the Licensed Physicians from Mexico Program under which the Medical Board of California is required to issue a 3-year physician and surgeon's license to each licensed physician from Mexico who, among other requirements, passes a board review course with a score equivalent to that registered by United States applicants when passing a board review course for the United States certification examination in each of the physician's specialty areas. This bill would delete that requirement. The bill would also require the board to submit to the DOJ fingerprint images and related information to determine whether an applicant has a criminal conviction record, as specified. The bill would require the DOJ to provide a specified state- and federal-level response, as described. Existing law authorizes a person who meets specified eligibility requirements to apply for a special faculty permit to practice medicine only within a medical school or certain affiliated institution. Existing law requires the application for a special faculty permit to be on a form prescribed by the board and to include specified information regarding the applicant's qualifications. This bill would require the board to submit to the DOJ fingerprint images and related information to determine whether an applicant has a criminal conviction record, as specified. The bill would require the DOJ to provide a specified state- and federal-level response, as described. (2) Existing law, the Licensed Midwifery Practice Act of 1993, provides for the licensure and regulation of midwives by the Medical Board of California in accordance with specified procedures. This bill would require the board to submit to the DOJ fingerprint images and related information to determine whether an applicant has a criminal conviction record, as specified. The bill would require the DOJ to provide a specified state and federal response, as described. (3) Existing law, the Psychology Licensing Law, provides for the licensure and regulation of psychologists by the Board of Psychology. Existing law also establishes a process whereby a person who is registered with the board as a psychological associate may perform psychological functions in preparation for licensure as a psychologist. Existing law further establishes procedures for graduates and students who have completed certain psychoanalysis training to engage in psychoanalysis as an adjunct to teaching, training, or research, subject to meeting certain requirements. Existing law authorizes a person who is registered with the board as a psychological testing technician to administer and score standardized objective psychological and related tests, upon meeting specified application requirements. This bill would require the board to require the above-described applicants for licensure or registration under that law to undergo a fingerprint-based state and national criminal history background check. The bill would require the board to submit to the DOJ fingerprint images and related information for those individuals and would require the department to provide a state- and federal-level response, as described. (4) Existing law requires the Medical Board of California to promulgate regulations regarding qualifications for the registration of individuals as certified polysomnographic technologists, polysomnographic technicians, and polysomnographic trainees, in accordance with certain procedures. Under existing law, an individual seeking registration from the board under these provisions is subject to a state- and federal-level criminal offender record information search conducted through the DOJ, as specified. This bill would revise and recast the above-described criminal information requirements. The bill would require the board to submit to the DOJ fingerprint images and related information to determine whether an applicant has a criminal conviction record, as specified. The bill would also require the department to provide a state- and federal-level response, as described. (5) Existing law establishes the Board of Behavioral Sciences to license and regulate specified professionals, including marriage and family therapists and educational psychologists, among others. Existing law requires the board to keep an accurate record of all applicants for licensure and all individuals to whom it has issued a license. This bill would require the board to require an applicant for a marriage and family therapist licensure, registration as an associate marriage and family therapist, and other specified behavioral sciences professionals to undergo a fingerprint-based state and national criminal history background check. The bill would require the board to submit to the DOJ fingerprint images and related information to determine whether an applicant has a criminal conviction record, as specified. The bill would require the DOJ to provide a state- and federal-level response, as described. (6) Existing law, the Collateral Recovery Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of repossession agencies by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. This bill would require the bureau to require each applicant as a repossession agency licensee, qualified certificate holder, or registrant, as defined, to undergo a fingerprint-based state and national criminal history background check. The bill would require the bureau to submit to the DOJ fingerprint images and related information on applicants. The bill would require the DOJ to provide a state- and federal-level response, as prescribed. (7) Existing law, the Private Investigator Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of private investigators by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. This bill would require the bureau to require each applicant for a private investigator license and qualified manager, as defined, to undergo a fingerprint-based state and national criminal history background check. The bill would require the bureau to submit to the DOJ fingerprint images and related information on applicants. The bill would require the DOJ to provide a state- and federal-level response, as described. (8) Existing law, the Household Movers Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of household movers, including corporations and persons, as defined, by the Division of Household Movers established within the Bureau of Household Goods and Services. Existing law establishes a process for each applicant under that act to submit to the DOJ fingerprint images and related information as a prerequisite to the issuance of a permit to operate as a household mover. This bill would revise and recast those provisions. The bill would require the bureau to require each applicant for a permit as a household mover, as defined, to undergo a fingerprint-based state and national criminal history background check. The bill would require the bureau to submit to the DOJ fingerprint images and related information for the purposes of obtaining information as to state and federal convictions and arrests, as prescribed. (9) Existing law requires a fingerprint-based criminal history information check that is required pursuant to any statute to be requested from the DOJ. When a government agency or other entity requests such a criminal history check for purposes of employment, licensing, or certification, existing law requires the DOJ to disseminate specified information in response to the request, including information regarding convictions and arrests for which the applicant is presently awaiting trial. Existing law establishes the State Department of Education, under the administration of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and assigns to it numerous duties relating to the governance and financing of the public elementary and secondary schools of this state. Existing law establishes the California School for the Deaf, Northern California, the California School for the Deaf, Southern California, and the California School for the Blind, known as the state special schools, under the administration of the department, and 3 related diagnostic centers under the administration of the Superintendent, as provided. This bill would authorize the department to require employees, prospective employees, volunteers, contractors, and subcontractors of the department, the state special schools, or the diagnostic centers to undergo a fingerprint-based state and national criminal history background check, as provided. (10) Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in the state. This bill would authorize the California State University to require employees, prospective employees, volunteers, contractors to undergo a fingerprint-based state and national criminal history background check, as provided. (11) The California Constitution provides that the University of California constitutes a public trust administered by the Regents of the University of California, a corporation in the form of a board, with full powers of organization and government, subject to legislative control only for specified purposes, including, among others, as may be necessary to ensure the security of its funds. This bill would expressly authorize the University of California to require background checks, to be completed by the DOJ as specified, during the final stages of the recruitment process for prospective staff employees, contractors, and volunteers. (12) Existing law requires the sheriff or other specified agency to furnish a classifiable set of fingerprints to the DOJ and to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for every peace officer employed, except as provided. This bill would require a law enforcement agency, as defined, to require peace officers and prospective peace officers to undergo a criminal history background check and to submit fingerprint images and related information to the DOJ, as specified. The bill would require the DOJ to provide a state- or federal-level response, as described. By increasing the duties of local law enforcement agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (13) Under the Yacht and Ship Brokers Act, the Division of Boating and Waterways in the Department of Parks and Recreation licenses the activities of brokers and salespersons engaged in the buying and selling of yachts and ships, as specified. The act authorizes the division to deny an application or suspend or revoke the license of a yacht broker or yacht salesperson who, within 4 years immediately preceding, has committed any of certain specified acts, including, among others, having been convicted of a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude or withholding information from the department that they at any time have been convicted of a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude. This bill would require the division to require an applicant for a yacht and ship broker or salesperson license to undergo a fingerprint-based state and national criminal history background check, as provided. (14) Existing law requires the DOJ to maintain state summary criminal history information, as defined, and to furnish this information to various state and local government officers, officials, and other prescribed entities, if needed in the course of their duties. Existing law makes it a crime for a person authorized by law to receive state summary criminal history information to knowingly furnish that information to a person who is not authorized to receive it. This bill would require the DOJ to inform the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, the Senate Standing Committee on Public Safety, and the Assembly Public Safety Committee, as specified, within 30 days of determining that a legislative enactment is likely to be needed, for an entity that is authorized to receive criminal history information, to reestablish or retain proper authorization for an applicant population. The bill would additionally prohibit the department from disseminating criminal history information, as specified. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would require a criminal justice agency to submit fingerprint images and related information for a specified individual to the department if the individual is subject to a state or national criminal history background check, as specified. By expanding the scope of the crime of unlawful disclosure of state summary criminal history information, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would require certain government entities, including, among others, the California State Summer School for the Arts and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, to submit fingerprint images and related information for various persons, including employees or prospective employees, to the DOJ, if the employees are subject to a state and national criminal history background check, as specified. The bill would also require a law enforcement agency, if it performs a background check, to submit fingerprint images and related information for a retiring or retired peace officer seeking an endorsement for the officer to carry a concealed and loaded firearm. (15) Existing law requires the DOJ to provide subsequent state or federal arrest or disposition notification to the State Department of Social Services, the Medical Board of California, the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, and other authorized entities to assist in, among other things, fulfilling employment, licensing, or certification duties. Existing law requires an entity, other than a law enforcement agency, as defined, to enter into a contract with the DOJ in order to receive notification of subsequent state or federal arrests or dispositions for licensing, employment, or certification purposes. Commencing January 1, 2028, this bill would no longer exempt law enforcement agencies from the contract requirement. Commencing January 1, 2028, the bill would also require authorized entities for each volunteer, as specified, to verify no less than every 6 months that the person is still a volunteer with the entity. 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. (17) This bill would, for the 2025–26 fiscal year, appropriate the sum of $10,000 to the DOJ for purposes of administering the above-described fingerprint requirements. (18) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.
(1) Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of various healing arts practitioners by boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs. Existing law provides an exemption from these requirements for a health care practitioner licensed in another state who offers or provides health care for which the practitioner is licensed during a state of emergency, as defined, and upon request of the Director of the Emergency Medical Services Authority, as specified. This bill would exempt health care practitioners licensed in another state, territory, or country from certain healing arts licensure, certification, or registration requirements, as described above, while providing professional services at Olympic and Paralympic activities, as defined, if the health care practitioner has been invited by the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games to provide those services and the committee provides specified information to the Director of Consumer Affairs. The bill would specify that the exemption applies while the health care practitioner is providing professional services at the invitation of the committee and only during the time sanctioned by the committee. This bill would authorize the official team representative who is responsible for any member participating in Olympic and Paralympic activities to give consent to the furnishing of professional services to a team member who, due to age, disability, or injury, is not able to personally consent in the event the consent of a parent, guardian, or legal representative of a team member cannot be obtained. The bill would specify that in the case of emergency, the consent of the parent, guardian, or legal representative of the team member would not be necessary in order to authorize the performance of professional services. (2) Existing law sets forth various powers and responsibilities for the State Department of Public Health concerning communicable disease prevention and control, in relation to persons, animals, and places, as necessary to protect or preserve the public health. This bill would require that the list of immunizations, items, and services that were recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) , the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) , and the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) that were in effect on January 1, 2025, serve as a baseline of recommendations and would authorize the State Department of Public Health, notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act, to modify or supplement those baseline recommendations, as specified. The bill would require the department to publish recommendations and any updates, modifications, or supplements. (3) Existing law authorizes various healing arts licensees, including dentists, doctors of podiatric medicine, optometrists, and pharmacists, to independently prescribe, initiate, or administer specified immunizations approved or authorized by the United States Food and Drug Administration in compliance with specified recommendations, including those by the ACIP. This bill would instead authorize those licensees to prescribe, initiate, or administer specified immunizations in a manner consistent with a recommendation made by the State Department of Public Health, as specified. (4) Existing law provides for the licensure, registration, and regulation of clinical laboratories and various clinical laboratory personnel by the State Department of Public Health. Existing law requires the fees or charges accompanying an application for the issuance or renewal of these licenses, among others, to be adjusted annually by the percentage change printed in the Budget Act and determined by dividing the General Fund appropriation to Laboratory Field Services in the current state fiscal year by the General Fund appropriation to Laboratory Field Services in the preceding state fiscal year. Commencing January 1, 1995, upon establishment of the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Fund, existing law requires this annual adjustment to be determined by dividing the current fiscal year appropriation to the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Fund by the General Fund appropriation to Laboratory Field Services of the department in the preceding fiscal year. Existing law also requires these fees and charges to be adjusted annually by a percentage determined by dividing the total amount of federal funds available for all programs in Laboratory Field Services of the department during the federal fiscal year ending on September 30 of the year immediately preceding the effective date of the change in fees, as specified. This bill would delete the above provisions pertaining to the annual adjustment of fees or charges and replace them with a requirement that the annual adjustment be done by the department to cover the estimated licensing program costs. Existing law requires a tissue bank, as defined, to have a current and valid tissue bank license. Under existing law, the application and annual renewal fee for a tissue bank license is $950, adjusted annually by a percentage listed in the Budget Act. This bill would adjust the fees or charges for a tissue bank license annually pursuant to the provision above requiring the annual adjustment be done by the department to cover the estimated licensing program costs. This bill would additionally revise the application, registration, and license fees for clinical laboratories and clinical laboratory personnel. (5) Existing federal law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , requires each state to establish an American Health Benefit Exchange to facilitate the purchase of qualified health benefit plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers. PPACA defines a "qualified health plan" as a plan that, among other requirements, provides an essential health benefits package. Existing state law creates the California Health Benefit Exchange, also known as Covered California, to facilitate the enrollment of qualified individuals and qualified small employers in qualified health plans as required under PPACA. Existing law establishes the Health Care Affordability Reserve Fund to be used, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for health care affordability programs operated by the Exchange. If a qualified health plan is required to cover state-mandated gender-affirming care benefits determined to be in addition to essential health benefits, this bill would require the Exchange to provide payments to issuers of qualified health plans to defray the costs of offering those benefits for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature. The bill would authorize the Health Care Affordability Reserve Fund to be used, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for these payments. (6) Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health and sets forth its powers and duties, including, but not limited to, duties relating to the licensing and regulation of various entities, including clinics. Existing law exempts specified clinics from these licensure requirements, including, among others, certain federal clinics, clinics maintained as outpatient departments of hospitals, and student health centers operated by public institutions of higher education. This bill would exempt from the above-described licensure requirements a clinic approved by, and that provides health care services at locations designated or sanctioned by, the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games from May 15, 2028, to September 15, 2028, inclusive. (7) Existing law, the Emergency Medical Services System and the Prehospital Emergency Medical Care Personnel Act, establishes the Emergency Medical Services Authority, which is responsible for the coordination of various state activities concerning emergency medical services (EMS) , including, among others, establishing minimum standards and promulgating regulations for the training and scope of practice for an Emergency Medical Technician I and II (EMT-I and EMT-II) and Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic (EMT-P) . Existing law requires the authority to have a chief medical officer who is required to provide clinical leadership and oversight concerning treatment, education, and other matters involving medical decisionmaking and delivery of patient care. This bill, notwithstanding any other law, would exempt from the EMS licensure, certification, or accreditation requirements of this state an EMT-I, EMT-II, EMT-P, or similar EMS provider, as defined, licensed or certified in another state or territory of the United States, who provides EMS for which they are licensed, if they are authorized by the chief medical officer of the authority to provide EMS at sites in this state sanctioned by the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and associated with the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The bill would require the chief medical officer to authorize those EMS personnel based on system needs and informed by committee needs, qualifications of the emergency medical services personnel, and public safety considerations. The bill would prohibit EMS providers authorized by the chief medical officer from being liable for any act or omission taken in good faith while providing authorized services. The bill would require authorization pursuant to these provisions to be valid from May 15, 2028, to September 15, 2028, inclusive, or until authorization is otherwise withdrawn by the chief medical officer. (8) Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to annually report to certain legislative committees, and publicly post, a summary of outcome and expenditure data with regard to outcome measures for alcohol and drug program services, as specified. This bill would repeal the above-described reporting and publication provisions. (9) Existing law requires DHCS to provide certain legislative committees with biannual updates on caseload, estimated expenditures, and related program monitoring data for the Every Woman Counts (EWC) Program, as specified. Existing law requires that expenditures for the EWC Program included in the department's budget for services provided on or after July 1, 2017, be charged against the appropriation for the fiscal year in which the billing is paid. This bill would delete the above-described requirements relating to the EWC Program. (10) Existing law establishes the public policy of the state that pupils are advised to adhere to current immunization guidelines, as recommended by, among other entities, the ACIP. Existing law prohibits the governing authority of a school or other institution from unconditionally admitting any person as a pupil unless, before the person's admission to that institution, the person has been fully immunized against various diseases, including any disease deemed appropriate by the State Department of Public Health, taking into consideration recommendations of various entities, including the ACIP. Existing law requires a medical exemption form and the appeal process for revocation of a medical exemption to be consistent with specified guidelines, including those by the ACIP. This bill would delete certain references to the ACIP and replace other references to the ACIP with the State Department of Public Health. Some of these provisions would be operative beginning July 1, 2026. To the extent that this bill imposes new duties on a local education agency, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (11) Existing law, from October 1 to the following April 1, inclusive, of each year, requires specified health facilities to offer immunizations for influenza and pneumococcal disease to residents or inpatients 65 years of age or older who are receiving services at the facility, based upon the latest recommendations of specified entities, including the ACIP. This bill would replace those references to ACIP with the State Department of Public Health. Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to post on its internet website educational information regarding influenza in accordance with the latest recommendations of the ACIP. This bill would replace the reference to ACIP with the State Department of Public Health. (12) Existing law, the Hereditary Disorders Act, requires the State Department of Public Health to license genetic counselors and temporary genetic counselors who meet specified requirements. Existing law prohibits the license fee from exceeding $200 for an original license, license renewal, or temporary license. Existing law requires all moneys collected by the department under the act to be deposited in the Genetic Disease Testing Fund, which is continuously appropriated to the department to carry out the purposes of the act. This bill would instead set the fee for an original license, license renewal, and temporary license at $300. The bill would authorize the department to adjust those fees to an amount not to exceed $500. The bill would require the department to solicit input from affected stakeholders before raising these fees. By authorizing additional moneys to be deposited into a continuously appropriated fund, the bill would make an appropriation. (13) Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care, and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires specified health care service plan contracts, or specified disability or health insurance policies, to cover an evidence-based item, service, or immunization that has in effect a specified rating in the recommendations of the USPSTF or an immunization that has in effect a recommendation from specified entities, including the ACIP. Existing law also requires specified health care service plans or disability insurers to offer benefits for the comprehensive prevention care of children consistent with the most current version of the Recommended Childhood Immunization Schedule/United States, jointly adopted by various entities, including the ACIP. This bill would require those health care service plan contracts or disability or health insurance policies to cover an evidence-based item, service, or immunization that had in effect on January 1, 2025, a specified rating in the recommendations of USPSTF. The bill would replace references to the ACIP with the State Department of Public Health. Because a willful violation of these provisions by a health care service plan would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (14) Existing federal law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , requires each state to establish an American Health Benefit Exchange to facilitate the purchase of qualified health benefit plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers. Existing state law creates the California Health Benefit Exchange (Exchange) , also known as Covered California, for this purpose. PPACA generally prohibits the use of federal funds for abortion services, but if a qualified health plan provides abortion coverage, PPACA requires the issuer of the plan to collect specified amounts from each enrollee and deposit those funds into a segregated account to be used to pay for abortion services. Under state law, the Exchange makes those payments to qualified health plans on behalf of enrollees. Existing state law requires a health care service plan that provides a qualified health plan through the Exchange to report to the Director of the Department of Managed Health Care the total amount of funds maintained in a segregated account. This bill would establish the Abortion Access Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, to provide funding for abortion services, including for abortion services funded through grants to provide abortion access. The bill would authorize the Department of Health Care Access and Information to distribute moneys in the fund through grants and contracts. Under the bill, contracts, grants, and related information would be exempt from public disclosure. From the 2025–26 fiscal year to the 2028–29 fiscal year, inclusive, the bill would require the Director of the Department of Managed Health Care to order a health care service plan that provides a qualified health plan through the Exchange to transfer to the Abortion Access Fund up to the total amount previously funded by the Exchange, not to exceed a specified percentage of the ending balance in its segregated account, and would require a plan to complete the transfer. Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements relative to health care service plans would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (15) Under existing law, the Breast Cancer Fund consists of the Breast Cancer Research Account and the Breast Cancer Control Account. Under existing law, revenues from a specified cigarette tax are deposited into the fund and divided equally between the 2 accounts, to be allocated upon appropriation. Existing law requires any entity funded by the Breast Cancer Control Program to collect data and maintain records that are determined by the State Department of Public Health to be necessary to facilitate the department's ability to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the entities and the program. Existing law requires the department to submit an annual report to the Legislature and any other appropriate entity. This bill would switch the jurisdiction from the State Department of Public Health to DHCS for purposes of the above-described and other related provisions. The bill would make certain changes to the required contents of the report. Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to provide for breast cancer screening services at the level of funding budgeted from state and other resources during the fiscal year in which the Legislature has appropriated funds to the department for this purpose, with administrative or indirect costs not exceeding certain limits. This bill would delete those provisions. (16) Existing law establishes the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, administered by the California Health and Human Services Agency and its departments, as applicable. Under existing law, the purpose of the initiative is to transform the state's behavioral health system into an innovative ecosystem in which all children and youth 25 years of age and younger, regardless of payer, are screened, supported, and served for emerging and existing behavioral health needs. Existing law requires DHCS, or a contracted vendor, to provide competitive grants to qualified entities to build partnerships, capacity, and infrastructure supporting ongoing school-linked behavioral health services, among other purposes, for children and youth 25 years of age and younger. For these purposes, existing law requires the department to develop and maintain a school-linked statewide fee schedule for outpatient mental health or substance use disorder treatment provided to a student who is 25 years of age or younger at a schoolsite. Existing law requires the department to develop and maintain a school-linked statewide provider network of schoolsite behavioral health counselors. Existing law authorizes the department to contract with an entity to administer the school-linked statewide behavioral health provider network. Existing law requires that administrator to, among other things, create and administer a process for the submission and reimbursement of eligible claims. This bill would require the department to convene a working group twice each year of specified stakeholders, including, among others, behavioral health providers and local educational agencies, to discuss the status of, and receive feedback regarding, the implementation of the fee schedule. The bill would require a contracted administrator to automate the matching of student records with health plan enrollment information and to reimburse claims pursuant to claim payment deadlines, as specified. The bill would require the California Health and Human Service Agency to publish a manual to assist a local educational agency with navigating certain federal laws. (17) Existing law, the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, requires all applicants for or recipients of CalWORKs to ensure and provide documentation that each child in the assistance unit who is not required to be enrolled in school has received all age-appropriate immunizations. Existing law requires all applicants and recipients to be given notice of that obligation and for the notice to include specified recommended childhood immunization schedules, as approved by various entities, including the ACIP. This bill would remove the reference to the ACIP and replace it with the State Department of Public Health, as specified. (18) Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by DHCS and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law sets a schedule of benefits that are covered by the Medi-Cal program. This bill would require that vaccines and immunizations are covered in accordance with a recommendation from ACIP, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and any modification or supplement to a recommendation adopted by the State Department of Public Health. The bill would make the implementation of this provision contingent to the extent that federal financial participation is available and any necessary federal approvals are obtained. (19) Existing law prohibits the use of an assets or resources test for individuals whose income eligibility for Medi-Cal is determined based on the application of a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) . Existing law prohibits, until January 1, 2026, the use of resources to determine Medi-Cal eligibility for applicants or beneficiaries whose eligibility is not determined using the MAGI-based financial methods, subject to receipt of any necessary federal approvals. Under existing law, operative on January 1, 2026, for those applicants or beneficiaries whose eligibility is not determined using the MAGI-based financial methods, DHCS is required to seek federal approval to implement a disregard of $130,000 in nonexempt property for a case with one member and $65,000 for each additional household member, up to a maximum of 10 members. Existing law requires that provision to be implemented only after the Director of Health Care Services determines that systems have been programmed for the disregards and they communicate that determination in writing to the Department of Finance. This bill would additionally specify that the above-described implementation condition occur no sooner than January 1, 2026. (20) Existing law sets forth provisions for the transition of certain children from the former Healthy Families Program to the Medi-Cal program. Existing law requires DHCS to provide monthly status reports to certain legislative committees on the transition, with a final comprehensive report provided within 90 days after completion of the last phase of transition. This bill would delete the above-described reporting requirement. (21) Existing law establishes a program, known as the 250% Working Disabled Program (250% WDP) , under which certain working persons with disabilities are eligible for Medi-Cal benefits based on a net countable income of less than 250% of the federal poverty level and other specified criteria. Existing law requires DHCS to report to the Governor and the Legislature any information that DHCS gathers that may explain the low participation rates in 250% WDP and any recommendations on increasing participation, as specified. This bill would repeal the above-described reporting provision. (22) The federal Medicaid program prohibits payment to a state for medical assistance furnished to an alien who is not lawfully admitted for permanent residence or otherwise permanently residing in the United States under color of law. Existing state law extends Medi-Cal eligibility for the full scope of Medi-Cal benefits to individuals who do not have satisfactory immigration status if they are otherwise eligible for those benefits, with the exception of specified dental benefits for individuals who are 19 years of age or older. Existing law makes an individual who is 19 years of age or older, who does not have satisfactory immigration status, and who applies for Medi-Cal on or after January 1, 2026, eligible only for pregnancy-related services and emergency medical treatment. Existing law, beginning no sooner than July 1, 2026, or July 1, 2027, as specified, requires individuals who do not have satisfactory immigration status, who are not pregnant, and who are 19 to 59 years of age, inclusive, to pay a monthly premium of $30, subject to certain exceptions. This bill would make certain nonminor dependents and foster youths exempt from the service limitations and monthly premium provisions described above. The bill would require the monthly premium payments described above to begin no sooner than July 1, 2027, and make other technical and conforming changes. (23) Existing law requires DHCS to implement a process that allows applicants and beneficiaries of certain Medi-Cal programs to self-certify the amount and nature of assets and income without the need to submit income or asset documentation. Existing law requires DHCS to implement the process in 2 phases, with the first phase in 2 counties and the 2nd phase statewide, with each county agreeing to meet all federal requirements for income, resource, and other verifications and to perform determinations and verifications in a timely manner. Existing law requires DHCS to promptly provide certain legislative committees with an evaluation of the process and its impact on the Medi-Cal program. This bill would delete certain provisions relating to the 2 phases, including the evaluation requirement. (24) Existing law, under Medi-Cal provisions, requires DHCS to enter into demonstration contracts with manufacturers of medical supplies for 4 items of its own selection of medical supplies existing on the pharmacy claims processing system, for the purpose of establishing rebates or other cost-saving mechanisms and demonstrating cost savings in the purchase of these medical supplies. This bill would repeal those and related provisions. The bill would make conforming changes to other provisions. (25) Existing law requires DHCS to establish a 2-year pilot program to utilize the federal Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) to identify veterans and their dependents or survivors who are enrolled in the Medi-Cal program and assist them in obtaining federal veteran health care benefits. Existing law requires DHCS to monitor the pilot program, evaluate the outcomes and savings, and provide the fiscal committees of the Legislature with a report on the findings and recommendations. This bill would delete the above-described monitoring, evaluation, and reporting requirements. (26) Existing law, operative until July 1, 2025, requires DHCS to work with stakeholders to conduct a study to identify current requirements for medical interpretation services and make recommendations on strategies that may be employed regarding the provision of medical interpretation services for Medi-Cal beneficiaries who are limited English proficient (LEP) . Existing law requires the department to establish a pilot project to evaluate certain factors, including whether disparities in care are reduced, with respect to LEP Medi-Cal beneficiaries compared with Medi-Cal beneficiaries who are proficient in English. Existing law requires the department to expend up to $5,000,000 for the pilot project pursuant to an appropriation made in the Budget Act of 2019, and makes those funds available for that purpose until June 30, 2025. This bill would extend the operation of these provisions until July 1, 2026, and make those funds available for expenditure, encumbrance, and liquidation until June 30, 2026. By extending the period of time in which previously appropriated funds are available for expenditure, encumbrance, and liquidation, the bill would make an appropriation. (27) Existing law requires the Office of Family Planning within DHCS to submit a biennial report to the Legislature on specified subjects relating to family planning services. This bill would instead require the office to post annual reports on its internet website. (28) Existing law requires the former State Department of Health Services, whose functions were transferred to other departments, to provide certain legislative committees with quarterly updates regarding core activities to improve the Medi‑Cal managed care program and county expansion, as specified. This bill would repeal those reporting provisions. (29) Existing law requires the former State Department of Mental Health, whose functions were transferred to other departments, to provide certain legislative committees with semiannual updates regarding key results and funding for the capital costs associated with development, acquisition, construction, and rehabilitation of permanent supportive housing for individuals with mental illness, as specified. This bill would repeal those reporting provisions. (30) Existing law authorizes the State Public Health Officer, to the extent allowable under federal law, and upon the availability of funds, to expend moneys from the continuously appropriated AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) Rebate Fund for a program to cover the costs of prescribed ADAP formulary medications for the prevention of HIV infection and other specified costs. Existing law authorizes the State Department of Public Health to spend up to $75,000,000 from the ADAP Rebate Fund to support current or eligible HIV services and programs, as specified. Existing law prescribes the allocation of those funds, including by authorizing up to $65,000,000 of that $75,000,000 to be spent to supplement or fund services, programs, or initiatives for which federal funding has been reduced or eliminated and making $9,000,000 available to fund state and local disease intervention specialists. This bill would make up to $18,000,000 of the above-described $65,000,000 available for state operations and would make up to $1,640,000 of the above-described $9,000,000 available for state operations. By adding to the purposes for which the ADAP Rebate Fund may be spent, the bill would make an appropriation. (31) Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. (32) 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. (33) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.
Existing law, the Pharmacy Law, establishes, in the Department of Consumer Affairs, the California State Board of Pharmacy to license and regulate the practice of pharmacy. Existing law authorizes a physician and surgeon, nurse practitioner, registered nurse, and specified other health care practitioners acting within the scope of their practice to use a self-screening tool to identify patient risk factors for the use of self-administered hormonal contraceptives by a patient and, after examination, to prescribe, furnish, or dispense self-administered hormonal contraceptives to the patient. This bill would, instead, make those provisions applicable to contraceptives. Existing law authorizes a pharmacist to furnish self-administered hormonal contraceptives in accordance with standardized procedures or protocols developed and approved by both the California State Board of Pharmacy and the Medical Board of California, in consultation with specified other entities. This bill would authorize a pharmacist to also furnish federal Food and Drug Administration-approved nonhormonal contraceptives in accordance with those standardized procedures or protocols. The bill would require a pharmacist, for each federal Food and Drug Administration-approved nonhormonal contraceptives initiated, to provide the recipient with a standardized fact sheet, as specified. Existing law prohibits a pharmacist, pharmacist's employer, or pharmacist's agent from directly charging a patient a separate consultation fee for emergency contraception drug therapy services and requires the pharmacist to disclose the total retail price of the emergency contraception drug therapy. Existing law makes those provisions inoperative for dedicated emergency contraception drugs if these drugs are reclassified as over-the-counter products by the federal Food and Drug Administration. This bill would delete those provisions. Existing law requires a pharmacist to dispense, at a patient's request, up to a 12-month supply of an FDA-approved, self-administered hormonal contraceptive. This bill would, instead, make those provisions applicable to contraceptives. This bill would make related conforming changes.
(1) Existing law requires each campus of the California Community Colleges to establish the position of Basic Needs Coordinator to assist students with on- and off-campus housing, food, mental health, and other basic needs services and resources, among other responsibilities, and to establish a Basic Needs Center where basic needs services and resources, including food services and resources, and staff are made available to students, as specified. Existing law requires each community college campus to report specified information related to basic needs services and resources to the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, and requires the chancellor's office to develop and submit to the Governor and the Legislature an annual report based on, among other things, the data and information reported by campuses. This bill would require, for the 2026–27 and 2027–28 fiscal years, each community college campus to provide classified employees with access to food pantry services offered by the Basic Needs Centers and report data and information related to that access to the chancellor's office, as specified, and would require the annual reports submitted by the chancellor's office to include that data and information. By expanding the services provided by Basic Needs Centers, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law establishes the Middle Class Scholarship Program (MCSP) under the administration of the Student Aid Commission. Existing law, subject to an available and sufficient appropriation, makes an undergraduate student eligible for a scholarship award under the MCSP if the student is enrolled at the University of California or the California State University, or enrolled in upper division coursework in a community college baccalaureate program, and meets certain eligibility requirements. Existing law generally sets the MCSP award at an amount that equals the difference between the student's cost of attendance and the sum of other scholarships, grants, or fee waivers, including those administered by federal, state, and institutions, awarded to the student in excess of $7,898 in expected student contribution, and, for dependent students with a household income exceeding $100,000, a percentage of the parents' contribution, as specified. If a federal, state, or institutionally administered student need-based scholarship, grant, or fee waiver of less than $300 is identified following determination of a student's MCSP award, this bill, for purposes of determining the student's MCSP award amount, would not require the student's MCSP award to be recalculated. The bill would require each institution participating in the MCSP to sign an institutional participation agreement with the commission acknowledging the institution's willingness to administer the MCSP program, as specified. (3) Existing law establishes the Zero-Textbook-Cost Degree Grant Program to reduce the overall cost of education for students and to decrease the time it takes students to complete degree programs offered by community colleges. Existing law requires the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to distribute grants to community college districts that meet specified criteria to develop and implement associate degrees or career technical education certificate programs earned entirely by completing courses that eliminate conventional textbook costs by using alternative instructional materials and methodologies, including open educational resources. Existing law authorizes grant recipients to use the funds for developing and implementing degrees to obtain professional development and technical assistance to assist in the development of degrees. This bill would authorize grant recipients to also use the funds for developing and implementing degrees to obtain professional development and technical assistance to assist in the development of open educational resource materials. The bill would authorize the chancellor's office to allocate any unallocated resources appropriated for purposes of the program, on or after June 30, 2025, to a community college district to contract for the establishment of statewide open educational resources infrastructure, as provided. (4) Existing law requires the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges to adopt regulations providing for the payment of apportionments to community college districts on a specified schedule. Existing law, notwithstanding that provision referenced above, adjusts the payment of apportionments to community college districts for the 2024–25 fiscal year to defer $243,693,000 of those payments to the 2025–26 fiscal year in accordance with a designated schedule. This bill would specifically reference two items of appropriation made in the Budget Act of 2025 as the funding source of the deferral payment described above. (5) The California Constitution establishes the Public School System Stabilization Account in the General Fund to provide a reserve for public school funding. The California Constitution requires, pursuant to specified calculations, the Controller to transfer certain moneys from the General Fund into the Public School System Stabilization Account for subsequent allocation to school districts and community college districts in fiscal years when the minimum state funding obligation for the support of school districts and community college districts falls below specified levels. The California Constitution authorizes the Legislature, upon the Governor's proclamation declaring a budget emergency, as described, to enact a statute that, among other things, appropriates funds in the Public School System Stabilization Account for the support of school districts and community college districts. This bill would appropriate $49,734,000 from the Public School System Stabilization Account to be transferred by the Controller to Section B of the State School Fund for the support of community college districts, as provided. (6) Existing law encourages community colleges to develop and implement Mathematics, Engineering, Science, Achievement (MESA) programs directed at identifying students affected by social, economic, and educational disadvantages, increasing the number of eligible students served under MESA programs, and increasing student success in transferring and completing baccalaureate degree programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors at 4-year higher education institutions, as specified. Existing law requires the board of governors to adopt regulations for purposes of MESA programs and requires those regulations to be consistent with specified requirements and accomplish certain goals. This bill, beginning in the 2026–27 fiscal year, would prohibit the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges from reserving more than 3.5% of funds appropriated for MESA programs on administrative and discretionary costs of supporting MESA programs, and would authorize the chancellor, in consultation with the California Community College Association of MESA Directors, to allocate the reserved funds solely for statewide coordination and enhancement of MESA programs. (7) Existing law appropriates $20,000,000 from the General Fund to the board of governors to support emergency financial assistance grants to students attending a community college. Existing law requires the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to allocate these funds to community college district's based on each district's share of total California Dream Act application (CADAA) filers that also received a Cal Grant systemwide. This bill would authorize the chancellor's office to reallocate those funds to community college districts to ensure all eligible CADAA filers receive a grant. The bill would require the chancellor's office to report to the appropriate policy committees and budget subcommittees of the Legislature on the progress of community college districts in awarding the emergency financial assistance grants to students, as specified. (8) This bill, for the 2025–26 fiscal year, would make funding appropriated in the Budget Act of 2025 in certain items of appropriation for community colleges available for transfer by the Controller to Section B of the State School Fund for purposes of distributing those funds to community college districts. (9) (A) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 66023.5 of the Education Code proposed by SB 271 to be operative only if this bill and SB 271 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. (B) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 70022 of the Education Code proposed by AB 88 and SB 67 to be operative only if this bill and either, or both, of those bills are enacted and this bill is enacted last. (10) 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above. (11) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.
This measure would recognize May 2025 as Head Start Month and call on the Congress and the President of the United States to protect and increase funding for Head Start.
This measure would urge the administration of President Donald J. Trump and the Congress of the United States to rescind the National Institutes of Health funding cuts. This measure also affirms the Legislature's commitment to postsecondary educational institutions.
This measure would call on the state's Representatives in Congress to support legislation to repeal all of the provisions of the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act that adversely affect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid programs, to oppose privatization of these programs, and to protect and improve these programs, and would call on the President of the United States to immediately restore program staffing levels, to work with Congress to protect and improve these programs, and to disavow any efforts to privatize Social Security.
Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law generally requires a health care service plan contract or a health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2022, to provide coverage without cost sharing for a colorectal cancer screening test assigned either a grade of A or a grade of B by the United States Preventive Services Task Force and for a required colonoscopy for a positive result on a test with those grades. This bill would additionally require that coverage if the screening test is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration and either meets requirements for coverage established by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as specified, or is included in the most recently published guidelines from the American Cancer Society.
Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care, and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires specified health care service plans and health insurers to publish and maintain a provider directory or directories with information on contracting providers that deliver health care services to enrollees or insureds, and requires a health care service plan or health insurer to regularly update its printed and online provider directory or directories, as specified. Existing law requires provider directories to include specified information and disclosures. This bill would require a full service health care service plan, specialized mental health or dental plan, health insurer, or specialized mental health or dental insurer to include in its provider directory or directories a statement advising an enrollee or insured to contact the plan or insurer for assistance finding an in-network provider and for an explanation of their rights regarding out-of-network coverage, and would specify the format of the statement. The bill would require the plan or insurer to acknowledge the request within one business day if contacted for that assistance, and to provide a list of in-network providers confirmed to be accepting new patients within 2 business days for a request deemed urgent by the enrollee or insured and 5 business days for a request deemed nonurgent by an enrollee or insured. Because a violation of these provisions by a health care service plan would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. 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.
