LEGISLATIVE ROUNDUP: Davis Signs Health Legislation
Continuing to sift through the hundreds of bills passed by the Legislature last month, Gov. Gray Davis (D) has signed additional health-related legislation this week. Some of the bills receiving his signature include:
- AB 499: Sponsored by Assembly member Dion Aroner (D-Berkeley), this bill requires the Department of Health Services to develop a Medi-Cal federal waiver program to test the benefits of providing an assisted living benefit to Medi-Cal beneficiaries who are eligible for placement in a nursing facility;
- AB 1199: Sponsored by Assembly member Marco Firebaugh (D-East Los Angeles), this bill confirms that the California Department of Aging does not have to automatically renew contracts with existing multipurpose senior service centers, unless it is in the best interests of the state (Office of the Governor release, 9/21);
- AB 1730: Sponsored by Assembly member Tony Cardenas (D-Sylmar), this bill appropriates $1,514,000 from the General Fund and $317,000 in federal funds for increased lead poison screening tests for children who receive services from a state funded health program. In addition, the bill requires the Bureau of State Audits to conduct an assessment of the effectiveness of the existing Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program and new regulations proposed by the Department of Health Services (Office of the Governor release, 9/20);
- AB 1819: Sponsored by Assembly member Kevin Shelley (D-San Francisco), this bill requires specified peace officers to complete an elder and dependent abuse-training course consisting of specific curricula and certified by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. In addition, this bill requires the Attorney General and the Health and Human Services Agency to establish a statewide elder and dependent abuse awareness media campaign (Office of the Governor release, 9/21);
- AB 2264: Sponsored by Assembly member Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles), this bill requires the State Department of Health Services to conduct a baseline health study on the effects of possible exposure to soil contamination from Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons on the residents of the William Mead Homes public housing project by Jan. 1, 2002 (Office of the Governor release, 9/20);
- SB 1272: Sponsored by Sen. Deborah Ortiz (D-Sacramento), this bill requires every employer who employs a community health care worker to keep a record of any violence committed against the worker. In addition, the bill requires employers to file a copy of that record with the Division of Labor Statistics and Research under the Department of Industrial Relations (Office of the Governor release, 9/20);
- SB 2111: Sponsored by Sen. Joe Dunn (D-Santa Ana), this bill makes the consumer rate guide for long term care insurance more user-friendly and clarifies the information required on the personal worksheet that accompanies applications for long term care insurance (Office of the Governor release, 9/21).