Existing law, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Disparities Reduction Act, requires the State Department of Public Health, among other specified state entities, in the course of collecting demographic data directly or by contract as to the ancestry or ethnic origin of Californians, to collect voluntary self-identification information pertaining to sexual orientation, gender identity, and variations in sex characteristics/intersex status (SOGISC) . This bill would define "information pertaining to SOGISC" to mean information pertaining to a person's sexual orientation identity, gender identity, identification as intersex, or identification as possessing sex characteristics that vary from those typically associated with a person's sex assigned at birth. Existing law, the Information Practices Act of 1977, prescribes a set of requirements, prohibitions, and remedies applicable to agencies, as defined, with regard to their collection, storage, and disclosure of personal information, as defined. Under existing law, a person who willfully requests or obtains any record containing personal information from an agency under false pretenses is guilty of a misdemeanor. Existing law establishes the University of California, administered by the Regents of the University of California, the California State University, administered by the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in the state. Existing law requests the Trustees of the California State University, the Regents of the University of California, and the governing board of each community college district to allow the faculty, staff, and students to identify their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression on any forms used to collect specified demographic data and to report that data, as provided. This bill would prohibit information pertaining to SOGISC collected pursuant to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Disparities Reduction Act, or collected by public postsecondary education institutions in accordance with the above paragraph, from being disclosed in a manner allowing personal identification to any entity outside of California state or local government, or an authorized agency thereof, subject to specified exceptions, and would require information pertaining to SOGISC reported in an identifiable form to be limited to the minimal extent required to meet the applicable exception, and in compliance with the Information Practices Act of 1977. The bill would require state entities under these provisions, after notifying the Legislature that the entity has the necessary automation capabilities, to share information pertaining to SOGISC in accordance with specified requirements when state and federal programs share systems or intake processes and that information is required for federal program participation. The bill would require the State Department of Social Services to comply with these provisions as early as possible following the notification set forth above, but no later than January 1, 2028. The bill would provide that these provisions also apply to information that could reasonably be used to infer a person's transgender or intersex status, as specified, and a that violation of these provisions is subject to penalties described in the Information Practices Act of 1977. By expanding the scope of a crime in the Information Practices Act of 1977, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. Existing law, the California Public Records Act, requires each state and local agency, as defined, to make its records open to public inspection at all times during office hours, except as specifically exempted from disclosure by law. This bill would provide, subject to specified exceptions, that information pertaining to SOGISC is confidential and shall be exempt from disclosure by specified state entities under the California Public Records Act, unless the information pertaining to SOGISC is deidentified, or disclosed in accordance with the Information Practices Act of 1977. This bill would provide that its provisions are severable. 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. 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.
Under existing law, when a person, as a result of a mental disorder, is a danger to others or to themselves, or is gravely disabled, they may, upon probable cause, be taken into custody for a period of up to 72 hours for assessment, evaluation, and crisis intervention, or placement for evaluation and treatment, as specified. Existing law prohibits mental health personnel from instructing a peace officer to take a person to, or keep the person at, a jail, solely because of the unavailability of an acute bed. This bill would require a peace officer who is transporting the above-described person to a designated facility for assessment to transport the person to the closest appropriate designated facility, either geographically or by time, from where the peace officer took the person into custody, as specified. If a person is being transported by a peace officer to a designated facility for assessment, the bill would authorize the person to affirmatively express their preference to the peace officer regarding the facility that they would prefer the peace officer to take them. By requiring a higher level of service from local law enforcement, this 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, 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.
Existing law, the Health Care Decisions Law, provides for the creation, form, and revocation of advance health care directives, and authorizes an adult having capacity to give an individual health care instruction. Under existing law, the advance health care directive of a patient in a skilled nursing facility is not effective unless a patient advocate or ombudsman signs the advance directive as a witness and declares that they are serving as a witness pursuant to this requirement. Existing law authorizes a witness who is a patient advocate or ombudsman to rely on the representations of the administrators or staff of the skilled nursing facility, or of family members, as convincing evidence of the identity of the patient, as specified. This bill would delete a patient advocate from the above-described witness duties, thus requiring that an ombudsman witness the advance health care directive of a patient in a skilled nursing facility.
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of drug testing laboratories and adult alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facilities and provides for the certification and regulation of adult alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment programs by the State Department of Health Care Services and authorizes the department to enforce those provisions. Existing law authorizes a facility described above to offer transportation services to an individual who is seeking recovery or treatment services only if specified conditions are met, including, among other things, that any air transportation provided to the individual includes a return ticket that may be used by the individual upon discharge and that a return ticket not used by an individual upon discharge is made available to the individual upon request for a period of one year following the individual's discharge. This bill would require a laboratory, facility, or program described above that provides air transportation to provide a ticket for round-trip transportation. The bill would additionally require, as conditions on the provision of transportation services, that the cost of the recovery or treatment services are prohibitive for the individual without assistance from the laboratory, facility, or program, and would require the laboratory, facility, or program to obtain written acknowledgment by the individual that the transportation is not tied to insurance benefits or program participation, to document the purpose and cost of the transportation, to compile information related to the provision of transportation, and to annually publish the compiled information on its internet website. The bill would require a laboratory, facility, or program to retain the information for a minimum of 5 years and to provide that information to the department upon request. Existing law prohibits facilities and programs described above and related persons from giving or receiving remuneration or anything of value for the referral of a person who is seeking alcohol or other drug recovery or treatment services. This bill would additionally apply the prohibition described above to the inducement of a person seeking services and would clarify that the prohibition prohibits specified practices by facilities or programs, including, among others, influencing or inducing an individual to enter or stay in a treatment or recovery program and recruiting individuals for treatment, unless otherwise specified.
Existing law finds and declares that prenatal and postpartum care, among other things, are essential services necessary to ensure maternal health. Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health, and vests the department with certain duties relating to maternal health, including maintaining a program of maternal and child health, as provided. This bill would require the department to include on its internet website information advising individuals to discuss pelvic floor concerns with their health care provider during their postpartum care visit.
The Personal Income Tax Law allows various credits against the taxes imposed by that law. This bill would allow a credit against those taxes to a licensed nurse employed at a rural health facility, as specified, for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2027, and before January 1, 2032, in an amount equal to $2,000 per taxpayer per taxable year. The bill would require the Department of Health Care Access and Information to provide an annual list to the Franchise Tax Board of rural health facilities, as specified. Existing law requires any bill authorizing a new tax expenditure, as defined, to include tax credits, to contain, among other things, specific goals, purposes, and objectives that the tax credit will achieve, detailed performance indicators, and data collection requirements. This bill would include findings and reporting requirements in compliance with this requirement. This bill would take effect immediately as a tax levy.
Existing law, the California Health Facilities Financing Authority Act, establishes the California Health Facilities Financing Authority, which has authority to, among other things, make secured or unsecured loans to, or purchase secured or unsecured loans of, any participating health institution in accordance with an agreement between the authority and the participating health institution to refinance indebtedness incurred by that participating health institution, as specified, in connection with projects undertaken, for health facilities acquired, or for working capital. Existing law also authorizes the authority to award grants to eligible clinics and health facilities, as specified. Existing law establishes the California Health Facilities Financing Authority Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, to carry out the purposes of the act. This bill, the Medical Debt Relief Act of 2026, would establish the medical debt relief program, which would be administered by the authority. The bill would require the authority to enter into an interagency agreement with the Department of Health Care Access and Information to implement the program. The bill would require the authority and department to convene a stakeholder advisory group, as specified, no later than July 1, 2027, to advise on the development, implementation, and administration of the program. The bill would require the stakeholder advisory group, on or before January 1, 2028, to develop recommendations for the authority and department, including, among others, criteria for the ranking and priority of eligible recipients to receive discharge of their medical debt. This bill would authorize the authority, in consultation with the department, to, among other things, contract with a medical debt relief coordinator, as defined, for purposes of acquiring medical debt of eligible recipients either directly from a providing health institution or from a debt buyer, as specified. The bill would require the authority to, among other things, maintain books and records of all the medical debt acquired and canceled. The bill would require the authority to maintain a public internet website for information about the program. This bill would create the California Medical Debt Relief Program Account within the California Health Facilities Financing Authority Fund and would make all moneys in the account available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the authority for carrying out the purposes of the Medical Debt Relief Act of 2026. The bill would require the authority, in consultation with the department, to provide a report to the Legislature and Governor by January 1 of each year, starting January 1, 2028. Existing law requires a hospital to report specified financial and utilization data to the Department of Health Care Access and Information, including, among other things, total operating expenses, and deductions from revenue, such as bad debts and charity care. This bill would require a hospital to report to the department outstanding medical debt owed to the hospital, including debt amount, bill adjustments, source of coverage, whether charity care or discount was provided, demographic data, ZIP Code, and whether the debt led to litigation or wage garnishment.
This measure would designate the week of March 15, 2026, to March 21, 2026, inclusive, as Family Physician Week, recognize the invaluable contributions of family physicians to California's health care system, and encourage continued investment in primary care to strengthen the family medicine workforce.
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 authorizes the Director of the Department of Managed Health Care to authorize a pilot program in southern California under which approved providers may undertake risk-bearing arrangements with a voluntary employees' beneficiary association with enrollment of more than 100,000 lives, as specified, beginning no earlier than January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2027, inclusive, if certain criteria are met. Existing law requires the association and each participating health care provider to report to the department information regarding cost savings and clinical patient outcomes compared to a fee-for-service payment model. Existing law requires the department to report those findings to the Legislature after the termination of the pilot program and before January 1, 2027. Existing law repeals these provisions on January 1, 2030. This bill would extend that repeal date to January 1, 2031. The bill would extend the end date of the pilot program to December 31, 2030, but would authorize the department to terminate the pilot program for specified reasons and would require the department to terminate the pilot program prior to the pilot program's end date based on any significant negative findings in any report, including if the department identifies any serious deficiencies that could cause enrollee harm. The bill would, instead of requiring the department to report findings to the Legislature after the termination of the pilot program, require the department to submit an interim report of the findings described above and policy recommendations regarding the continuation of the pilot program to the Legislature before January 1, 2029.
Existing law establishes the California Children's Services (CCS) program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and counties, to provide medically necessary services, based on financial eligibility, for persons under 21 years of age who have certain medical conditions, including, among others, cystic fibrosis or hemophilia. Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the department, 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 authorizes the department to establish a Whole Child Model program, under which managed care plans served by a county organized health system or Regional Health Authority in designated counties provide CCS treatment services to Medi-Cal eligible CCS children and youth. In implementing the program, existing law requires the department to, among other things, establish a statewide Whole Child Model program stakeholder advisory group and to consult with that advisory group on the implementation of the Whole Child Model program, as specified. Existing law terminates the advisory group on December 31, 2026. This bill would rename the statewide Whole Child Model program stakeholder advisory group to the California Children's Services (CCS) advisory group. The bill would require the advisory group to have specified membership, including no more than 6 representatives of CCS clients not enrolled in a managed care plan or enrolled in a managed care plan, but not on a family advisory committee, former CCS clients, and caregivers of former CCS clients, among others. The bill would also require the department to consult with the advisory group on the implementation of the CCS Classic program and to consider the recommendations of the advisory group in developing monitoring processes and outcome measures for the CCS program. The bill would require the department to publish two summary reports on its internet website by specified dates that describe the department's progress and actions on specified matters relating to the CCS program. The bill would delete the December 31, 2026, sunset date, and would instead make the provisions relating to the stakeholder advisory group and the related reporting requirement inoperative on January 1, 2037. This bill would make conforming changes to reflect the renaming of the advisory group.
