Policy Committees Meet Fiscal Bill Deadline, Face Non-Fiscal Bill Deadline Next Week

Policy committees of the California State Senate and Assembly today met the deadline to hear and report to fiscal committees measures with a fiscal impact. Policy committees next week will face a similar deadline to hear and report to the floor bills without a fiscal impact.

Below, we highlight actions on several measures of interest to CHEAC Members.

Communicable Disease Control

AB 2516 (Aguiar-Curry) as amended April 18, 2022 – SUPPORT

Assembly Member Cecilia Aguiar-Curry’s AB 2516 would require health insurance and plan coverage for the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for persons for whom the vaccine is FDA approved. The bill was heard in the Assembly Health Committee this week and advanced to the Assembly Appropriations Committee on a 12-1 vote with two members not voting.

SB 1479 (Pan) as amended April 4, 2022 – SUPPORT

SB 1479 by Senator Richard Pan would require CDPH to coordinate COVID-19 testing in local educational agencies, preschools, and childcare centers. The bill was heard in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday and was advanced to the Senate Appropriations Committee on a 5-2 vote.

Environmental Health

AB 1737 (Holden) as amended April 20, 2022 – OPPOSE

Assembly Member Chris Holden’s AB 1737 would establish a statewide regulatory structure for children’s camps to be administered by local agencies. The measure was heard in the Assembly Public Safety Committee on Tuesday and was passed to the Assembly Appropriations Committee on a 5-0 vote with two members not voting.

Injury Prevention

AB 1929 (Gabriel) as amended March 15, 2022 – SUPPORT

AB 1929 by Assembly Member Jesse Gabriel would require DHCS to establish a community violence prevention and recovery program under which violence preventive services would be provided as a covered benefit in the Medi-Cal program. The measure was heard in the Assembly Health Committee on Monday and advanced to the Assembly Appropriations Committee on a 13-0 vote with two members not voting.

Health Coverage

AB 1995 (Arambula) as amended March 24, 2022 – SUPPORT

Assembly Member Joaquin Arambula’s AB 1995 would eliminate Medi-Cal premiums and subscriber contributions for children, pregnant or postpartum women, and individuals with disabilities. The measure was heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee this week and was placed on the Suspense File for consideration at a later date.

Public Health Emergency Preparedness

AB 2546 (Nazarian) as amended April 28, 2022 – WATCH

Assembly Member Adrin Nazarian’s AB 2546 was heard in the Assembly Health Committee this week and passed to the Assembly Appropriations Committee on a 14-0 vote with one member not voting. Amendments taken by the author from the Assembly Health Committee addressed CHEAC’s opposition relative to the curtailment of public health authorities.