End of Life Option Act: sunset.

Senator Blakespear's proposal to amend California's End of Life Option Act would remove the law's January 1, 2031 expiration date, making the program permanent. The Act allows qualifying California residents with terminal illnesses to request aid-in-dying medication from their physicians.

The legislation also modifies the State Department of Public Health's annual reporting requirements. By April 2026, the department must consult stakeholders about expanding the data included in these reports, which currently track statistics such as prescription numbers, demographics of program participants, and physician participation rates. Starting July 2026, the department will incorporate additional data points based on this stakeholder input while maintaining existing patient privacy protections that prevent disclosure of personal information in legal proceedings.

The bill maintains current provisions that make it a crime to coerce or unduly influence individuals to request or use aid-in-dying medication. While the legislation creates no new costs for local agencies, it continues existing requirements for medical providers to submit documentation, including patient requests and physician compliance forms, to state health officials within 30 days of writing aid-in-dying prescriptions.