Policy Committees Arrive at Deadline for Fiscal Bills
Today is the deadline for policy committees to meet and report fiscal bills, resulting in a busy week of hearings. Policy committees have one more week to meet and report all remaining bills before the Legislature departs for its summer recess.
Below are several bills of interest to CHEAC Members. This week’s full bill chart is available here.
Local Health Department Administration
AB 1250 (Jones-Sawyer) as amended 6/21/17 – Oppose
AB 1250 by Assembly Member Reginald Jones-Sawyer was heard in the Senate Governance and Finance Committee this week. The measure would place onerous requirements on county contracting, including many of the contracts into which local health departments enter for vital public health services.
The hearing featured nearly an hour of robust testimony and questions from committee members around potential restrictions and impacts to county operations. Despite the extensive debate, the measure was advanced to the Senate Rules and Senate Appropriations Committees by a 4-2 vote with Committee Chair, Mike McGuire not voting on the bill. Further amendments that may exempt certain services and entities or rural areas are expected over the coming weeks. CHEAC, along with CSAC and hundreds of other organizations, remain opposed to AB 1250.
Tobacco Control
AB 725 (Levine) as introduced 2/15/17 – Support
Assembly Member Marc Levine’s AB 725 was heard this week in the Senate Appropriations Committee. The measure would ban smoking (including e-cigarettes) and disposal of cigar and cigarette waste at all state coastal beaches, state parks and campgrounds, monument and landmark sites, and sites of historical interest. AB 725 was placed on the Senate Appropriations Suspense File.
Cannabis
AB 175 (Chau) as amended 5/30/17 – Support
AB 175 by Assembly Member Ed Chau was heard in the Senate Health Committee this week. The measure would require adult use cannabis manufacturers, prior to releasing cannabis-infused edible products, to receive approval from CDPH, including submitting their packaging and labeling to the Department. The measure was advanced to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 663 (Nielsen) as amended 7/12/17 – Support
Senator Jim Nielsen’s SB 663 was heard in the Assembly Business and Professions Committee this week. The measure would deem packaging or labeling of cannabis products as appealing to children if: 1) it including transparent packaging, 2) the product displays a name that resembles the name of any existing non-cannabis candy, snack food, baked good, or beverage, 3) the product contains a design feature that resembles the packaging or labeling of a non-cannabis candy, snack food, baked good or beverage, 4) the product includes any statement, artwork, or design that is misleading to a person under 21, 5) if it includes any cartoon, logo, or design feature making it primarily attractive to children, and 5) if it includes a name or slogan appealing primarily to those under 21. The measure was advanced to the Assembly Floor.
Health Equity
AB 210 (Santiago) as amended 7/3/17 – Support
Assembly Member Miguel Santiago’s AB 210 was heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee this week. This measure is sponsored by Los Angeles County and would allow counties to establish multidisciplinary teams to facilitate the expedited identification, assessment, and linkage of homeless individuals to housing and supportive services. AB 210 was advanced to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 138 (McGuire) as amended 6/29/17 – Support
The CHEAC Legislative Committee moved to support SB 138 by Senator Mike McGuire this week. The measure would require local education agencies participating in the federal school meal program to implement a system to directly certify students eligible for free or reduced price meals using Medi-Cal participation data. The measure would also require school districts and county offices of education with high poverty schools to provide breakfast and lunch free of charge to all students at those schools. The measure was advanced from the Assembly Education Committee to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Drug & Alcohol Services
AB 1048 (Arambula) as amended 7/3/17 – Watch
Assembly Member Joaquin Arambula’s AB 1048 was heard in the Senate Health Committee this week. The measure would authorize a pharmacist to dispense a Schedule II drug as a partial fill if requested by the patient or prescribing physician. The measure would also remove the requirement on health facilities to assess the pain of a patient at the same time as their vital signs are taken. This measure has been introduced to attempt to address the growing opioid epidemic in California. AB 1048 was advanced to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Access to Health Services
AB 1591 (Berman) as amended 3/28/17 – Support
AB 1591, authored by Assembly Member Marc Berman, was heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee this week. The measure would expand Medi-Cal reimbursement eligibility to include Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCCs) in federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and rural health centers (RHCs). The measure was placed on the Senate Appropriations Suspense File.