Health & Public Health

Allows Imperial Valley Healthcare District board members to run for election in their voting districts. Requires the district to establish seven voting districts for board member elections by July 2024. Mandates board candidates to reside in their voting district for at least 30 days before election. Requires public hearings before finalizing voting district boundaries.

Extends funding for deaf and disabled telecommunications services through 2034 via utility bill surcharges. Authorizes collection of up to $100 million annually to provide specialized telecommunications equipment. Shifts program funding control from the Public Utilities Commission to the state Legislature. Takes effect immediately to ensure uninterrupted services for deaf and hard-of-hearing residents.

Expands access to opioid overdose medication by allowing more people to distribute and administer it without training. Requires drug treatment facilities to maintain naloxone supplies and trained staff to prevent overdoses. Mandates state-funded addiction programs to follow evidence-based practices to receive funding. Prohibits treatment facilities from requiring sobriety for admission or continued care.

Expands California's birth defects monitoring program to track health conditions during a baby's first year of life. Authorizes local health departments to collect and monitor birth defect data in their jurisdictions. Strengthens privacy protections for medical records related to birth defects and early childhood conditions. Establishes new fees and funds to support birth defect monitoring and related research programs.

Makes California's End of Life Option Act permanent by removing its 2031 expiration date. Requires expanded annual reporting on aid-in-dying medication usage starting July 2026. Strengthens privacy protections for patients and medical providers involved in end-of-life care. Mandates stakeholder input by April 2026 to determine additional data for public reporting.

Establishes vape pens confiscated by schools as household hazardous waste requiring proper disposal. Authorizes hazardous waste facilities to safely disassemble vape pens to separate batteries and components. Prohibits facilities from including confiscated vape pens in materials exchange or recycling programs. Requires schools to follow strict transport protocols when moving confiscated vape pens to disposal facilities.

Extends the Board of Psychology and Board of Behavioral Sciences operations until January 1, 2030. Establishes new continuing education requirements for mental health professionals in suicide prevention and aging care. Expands supervision requirements and qualifies out-of-state practitioners to provide temporary services for up to 30 days. Updates disciplinary standards and reporting requirements for professional misconduct across healing arts professions.

Expands the role of unlicensed laboratory personnel to assist with complex clinical testing under supervision. Requires unlicensed lab workers to demonstrate competency before performing authorized tasks. Mandates constant supervision by licensed personnel who must be physically present in the laboratory. Defines specific tasks unlicensed staff can perform, including specimen handling and equipment maintenance.

Expands mental health diversion programs by requiring defendants to agree their treatment plan meets their needs. Mandates regular progress reports from mental health providers to courts and attorneys during diversion. Allows courts to prohibit firearm possession during diversion if defendant poses a significant danger. Limits diversion to two years for felonies and one year for misdemeanors.

Strengthens nurse staffing requirements by mandating hospitals maintain an on-call list of at least 10% of nursing staff. Requires hospitals to document nurse competencies and exhaustion of on-call lists to avoid staffing violation penalties. Establishes a 10-day deadline for investigating nurse staffing complaints that don't pose immediate danger. Imposes penalties of $15,000 for first staffing violations and $30,000 for subsequent violations on separate days.

Establishes the Department of Health Care Services as the primary administrator of California's perinatal services program. Requires all perinatal healthcare providers to complete mandatory training by July 2027. Mandates quality reviews of perinatal providers every three years starting January 2026. Requires regular reporting on the number of patients offered and receiving perinatal services.

Expands involuntary treatment eligibility to include individuals with severe alcohol use disorder. Requires courts to include original petitioners in treatment planning with the respondent's consent. Mandates county agencies to conduct status reviews every 60 days during the treatment period. Strengthens confidentiality protections for medical records and treatment information in court proceedings.

Establishes a comprehensive academic study program to examine mental health challenges specifically affecting women veterans in California. Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to analyze demographics, risk factors, treatment access barriers, and suicide rates among women veterans. Mandates submission of study findings and recommendations to the Legislature by June 30, 2029. Automatically terminates the study program on January 1, 2030, following the completion and submission of findings.

Authorizes trained volunteers in adult care facilities to administer emergency antiseizure medications during seizures. Requires facilities to create detailed seizure action plans and provide free training to volunteer staff by 2027. Protects volunteers from legal liability when administering antiseizure medication in good faith. Mandates facilities to maintain documentation and provide defense for volunteers who administer medication.

Establishes a pilot program to install suicide deterrents on five San Bernardino County freeway overpasses. Requires installation of both physical barriers and prevention signage on selected overpasses. Prioritizes overpasses with the highest documented suicide rates over the past 20 years.

Establishes rent limits for elderly care facilities serving Medi-Cal residents based on their income levels. Authorizes state agencies to waive rent control restrictions for assisted living facilities. Modifies how resident income is calculated for Medi-Cal eligibility in elderly care facilities. Creates penalties for facilities that charge Medi-Cal residents above the allowed rental rates.

Makes technical changes to optometry licensing and regulation requirements.

Establishes a new grant program to maintain and operate abandoned endowment care cemeteries in California. Increases cemetery and funeral industry fees by 150% to fund maintenance of abandoned cemeteries. Requires cities and counties to form public cemetery districts within 120 days of cemetery abandonment. Mandates cemetery authorities to include maps of burial locations and quarterly bank statements in annual reports.

Establishes a working group to study healthcare services in northern San Diego County through June 2026. Requires participation from local health districts, hospitals, and labor representatives. Mandates recommendations to improve healthcare access for underserved communities. Automatically repeals all provisions of the program on June 1, 2030.

Requires state health officials to develop comprehensive wildfire air quality emergency plans by June 2026. Mandates counties to create local emergency response plans with specific protocols for protecting vulnerable residents. Establishes requirements for distributing protective equipment and communicating air quality risks to the public. Allows counties to form regional partnerships for coordinated emergency response planning.

Establishes a standardized credentialing process for healthcare providers joining insurance networks. Requires insurers to approve or deny provider credentials within 90 days of receiving completed applications. Mandates use of standardized electronic credentialing forms by January 1, 2028. Grants provisional approval if insurers fail to meet the 90-day review deadline.

Requires large insurers to submit annual reports on reinsurance data and catastrophic risk models starting March 2026. Extends deadlines to 180 days for filing insurance claims during state emergencies. Mandates 100% payment of personal property coverage limits during state emergencies without itemized claims. Imposes penalties up to $100,000 on insurers who fail to submit required reports.

Establishes new standards for online home health aide training programs with real-time instruction requirements. Requires home health aide trainers to be registered nurses with two years experience or supervised LVNs. Mandates 12 hours of annual in-service training for home health aide certificate renewal. Requires identity verification and monitoring of online training programs to prevent fraud.

Establishes a Language Access Director to oversee translation and interpretation services across state agencies. Requires state agencies to provide materials in languages spoken by 5% or more of eligible service populations. Mandates biennial language needs assessments and implementation plans to address service gaps. Creates strict standards for qualified interpreters, prohibiting sole reliance on machine translation.

Expands the definition of healthcare professionals who can certify patients for in-home support services. Requires medical certification proving patients need assistance to avoid placement in out-of-home care. Prohibits healthcare providers from charging fees for completing certification forms. Allows temporary service authorization while awaiting certification for patients leaving hospitals.