Senate Health and Human Services Committee Approves Health-Related Legislation

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday pass considered several health-related bills. Summaries of some of the bills approved by the committee are provided below.

SB 1487: Sponsored by Sen. Jackie Speier (D-San Mateo), the bill would require hospitals to notify state officials and the public about the rate of infections incurred during patient hospital stays, the Sacramento Bee reports (Fletcher, Sacramento Bee, 3/25). KPBS' "KPBS News" Wednesday reported on the legislation. The segment includes comments from Michael McCauley, media director for advocacy group Consumers Union's West Coast regional office (Goldberg, "KPBS News," KPBS, 3/24). The complete transcript of the segment is available online. The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.
SB 1566: Sponsored by Sen. Martha Escutia (D-Norwalk), the measure would require schools to provide healthier lunches by implementing nutritional standards established in a 2001 law that have not yet taken effect because an increase in the state subsidy for reduced-price lunches has not been approved, the Bee reports. The committee voted 8-2 to approve the legislation (Fletcher, Sacramento Bee, 3/25).
SB 1821: Sponsored by Sen. Joe Dunn (D-Garden Grove), the measure would raise the legal age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21, the Bee reports. If approved, California would have the highest age requirement in the nation; apart from Alaska, Alabama and Utah, where smoking is not permitted before age 19, all other states set legal smoking ages at 18. The California Medical Association, the American Lung Association and the Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation support the bill. Although they are not opposing the legislation, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association and Americans for Non-Smokers Rights are not backing the campaign because "there are no data and lots of uncertainty" about whether the plan would reduce smoking among state residents ages 18 to 20. The committee voted 7-2 to approve the legislation (Fletcher, Sacramento Bee, 3/25).

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