Assembly, Senate Committee Act on Health-Related Legislation
The Legislature this week voted on several health-related measures. Summaries of the bills and specific actions appear below.
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AB 1199: The Assembly unanimously voted to approve the measure, sponsored by Assembly member Patty Berg (D-Santa Rosa), that would allow the Trinity Public Utility District to operate Trinity County's "financially endangered" hospital until Jan. 1, 2008, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports. The move is a temporary solution until the county can find a long-term way of addressing the hospital's financial problems. The measure now goes to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R).
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AB 2193: The Assembly voted 41-29 to approve the bill sponsored by Assembly member Joe Nation (D-San Rafael) that would prohibit children younger than age 14 from using tanning booths without a doctor's prescription (AP/Contra Costa Times, 8/26). The bill also would require teenagers between ages 14 and 18 to get a signed permission slip before using the salons. The measure originally prohibited anyone under age 18 from using tanning booths but was amended in the Senate (Salladay/Rau, Los Angeles Times, 8/26). Under the bill, tanning salon owners would be fined $2,500 per day for allowing minors to use their facilities (California Healthline, 7/8). The legislation now goes to Schwarzenegger.
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AB 746: The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday "tweaked" the bill, sponsored by Assembly member Barbara Matthews (D-Stockton), which would limit the use of patients' medical information for marketing purposes. Consumer advocates voiced concern that the bill allows drug company-paid advertising on information provided to patients by pharmacists. The bill now goes before the full Senate for consideration (Marimow, San Jose Mercury News, 8/26).
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SB 1451: The Assembly on Monday voted 25-10 to approve the measure, sponsored by Sen. Liz Figueroa (D-Fremont), which would expand consumer privacy rights by applying a "stringent existing California law" to anyone who has access to confidential medical or financial information regardless of where they are located, the San Jose Mercury News reports. Under the legislation, consumers could seek damages in California courts for any violation of the state's privacy laws. The measure now goes to Schwarzenegger (Schoenberger, San Jose Mercury News, 8/25).
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SB 1492: The Assembly voted 41-33 to pass a bill, sponsored by Sen. Joe Dunn (D-Garden Grove), that would require hospitals and health providers to inform patients if they use foreign companies to handle confidential medical records and to get permission from patients before sending patient records abroad (AP/Contra Costa Times, 8/26). The legislation moves to the Senate to reconcile amendments (Marimow, San Jose Mercury News, 8/26).
- SB 1569: The Assembly voted 41-34 to pass legislation sponsored by Dunn that would give doctors the right to sue health plans and HMOs in certain situations for failing to pay them, the AP/Times reports. The bill now returns to the Senate for consideration of changes made in the Assembly (AP/Contra Costa Times, 8/26).