Fiscal Bill Deadline Next Week, AB 626 Passes Senate Health Committee
The Legislature maintained a very busy hearing scheduling this week as policy committees face a deadline next Friday, June 29 to hear and report all fiscal bills. Non-fiscal bills must be heard and reported by policy committees the following Friday, July 6, prior to the Legislature breaking for their summer recess. With the upcoming deadlines, the Legislature faces two busy weeks ahead.
Below, we highlight significant actions taken on bills this week. For a full update, our CHEAC Weekly Bill Chart is available here.
Environmental Health
AB 626 (E. Garcia) as amended on June 21, 2018 – Oppose
Despite strong public health and environmental health testimony in opposition to the measure, AB 626 passed the Senate Health Committee on Wednesday on a 7-0 vote; two committee members abstained. During the hearing, Senate Health Committee Chairman Richard Pan asked a number of questions around public health considerations and the feasibility of safely regulating the home environment.
Recall the measure would create a new type of food facility defined as a “microenterprise home kitchen” in the California Retail Food Code and allow the sale of potentially hazardous foods directly to consumers in private homes. CHEAC, along with our county colleagues, continues to oppose the measure due to increased risk of foodborne illness and challenges in safely regulating and inspecting home kitchens. AB 626 now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Drug and Alcohol Services
AB 2760 (Wood) as amended June 20, 2018 – Support
AB 2760 by Assembly Member Jim Wood was advanced from the Senate Business, Professions, and Economic Development Committee to the Senate Appropriations Committee this week. The measure would require prescribers to offer to patients at an increased risk of opioid overdose a prescription for naloxone or other FDA-approved drug for opioid overdose reversal. Prescribers would also be required to provide to specified patients education on overdose prevention and the use of naloxone.
Health Coverage/Health Care Reform
SB 974 (Lara) as amended on May 25, 2018 – Support
Senator Ricardo Lara’s SB 974 was heard in the Assembly Health Committee on Tuesday. SB 974 would expand full-scope Medi-Cal coverage to all undocumented adults 65 years of age and older with income at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). Recall, the Legislature’s recently passed 2018-19 Budget did not include any funding for expanded Medi-Cal coverage to undocumented individuals, setting up an uncertain fate for SB 974. The measure now heads to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 2965 (Arambula) as amended May 25, 2018 – Support
AB 2965 by Assembly Member Joaquin Arambula was heard in the Senate Health Committee on Wednesday. The measure is part of the bill proposal package by the Assembly Select Committee on Health Care Delivery Systems and Universal Coverage and would expand full-scope Medi-Cal coverage to all undocumented adults under the age of 26 with income at or below 138 percent FPL. Similar to SB 974, this measure faces an uncertain fate after the recent budget package did not include funding for such Medi-Cal expansion. AB 2965 now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Chronic Disease Prevention and Wellness Promotion
SB 1192 (Monning) as amended June 12, 2018 – Support
SB 1192 by Senator Bill Monning was advanced by the Assembly Health Committee this week. The measure would require restaurants selling a children’s meal to make the default beverage with that meal either water or an unflavored milk/milk alternative. CHEAC supports the measure as a tool to reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among children in California. SB 1192 now heads to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health
AB 2289 (Weber) as amended on June 7, 2018 – Support
Assembly Member Shirley Weber’s AB 2289 was heard in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday. The measure would set forth accommodation rights of pregnant and parenting pupils and require school districts to allow a minimum of eight weeks of parental leave for pregnant and parenting pupils. AB 2289 would specify that schools may not require these pupils to complete academic work or other school assignments during their parental leave and would require schools to provide these pupils an opportunity to make up missed academic work upon their return to school. The measure now heads to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.