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Health and Human Services
For more information, contact Kelly Brooks at 916/327-7500, ext. 531, or kbrooks@counties.org, or Farrah McDaid Ting at 916/327-7500, ext. 559 or fmcdaid@counties.org.
Legislation
Health
AJR 54 (Laird) – Support
As Amended on May 28, 2008
AJR 54, by Assembly Member John Laird, is a joint resolution urging the President and Congress to rescind the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) directive of August 17, 2007, that restricts states’ authority to cover children under the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
AJR 54 was passed by the Senate Health Committee on June 25.
AB 2124 (Beall) – Support
As Amended on June 23, 2008
AB 2124, by Assembly Member Jim Beall, would allow the state to draw down federal funding for providing alcohol and drug screening and brief intervention services to Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
Currently, the counties that provide substance and alcohol screening and brief intervention services to Medi-Cal beneficiaries must bear the full cost of such services. A new federal rule change allows California to receive federal revenue to perform Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI) services, making them more affordable. AB 2124 would allow the state to implement such screening programs to the extent resources are available to draw down federal matching funds. The measure also creates a matching fund in the State Treasury to allow counties to access those federal matching funds.
CSAC supports AB 2124, which was passed by the Senate Health Committee on June 25. The bill now goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Please also note that the Governor’s May Revision included a similar proposal.
AB 2375 (Hernandez) – Support
As Amended on May 28, 2008
AB 2375, by Assembly Member Ed Hernandez, would require several departments to create a health care workforce master plan for the state.
AB 2375 would direct the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development to work with the California Workforce Investment Board to establish a health care workforce task force, comprised of specified members, to assist in the development of a health care workforce master plan for the state.
The bill was passed by the Senate Health Committee on June 25, and now goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 1236 (Padilla) – Support
As Amended on May 28, 2008
SB 1236, by Senator Alex Padilla, would extend the sunset date on current law that allows counties to levy a small fee on criminal penalties to augment access to pediatric trauma and emergency services.
Current law authorizes counties to augment the Emergency Medical Services Fund by collecting an additional $2 penalty assessment on every $10 penalty for all criminal offenses and moving violations, including speeding, driving under the influence, and domestic violence. Counties are then required to allocate 15 percent of these new funds to pediatric trauma centers, or to improve access to pediatric and trauma services in the county. Counties must implement the penalty assessment by public resolution, and the increased penalties must not offset or reduce the funding for other programs.
The authority for counties to levy the additional $2 penalty assessment sunsets on January 1, 2009, and Senator Padilla’s SB 1236 would extend the sunset date an additional five years, to January 1, 2014.
Counties believe that retaining the ability to levy the small assessment is critical to keeping California’s ailing emergency and trauma care system afloat. The availability of pediatric trauma care services is also of paramount importance, as time is of the essence when children are injured. For these reasons, CSAC supports SB 1236. The bill was passed by the Senate on June 23 and now goes to the Governor.
Child Welfare Services
SB 292 (Wiggins) – Support
As Amended on June 11, 2008
SB 292, by Senator Patricia Wiggins, would conform state and federal law to continue state reimbursement for special education pupils with serious mental illness who are placed out of the state.
The bill, sponsored by the California Mental Health Directors Association, fixes a portion of California law related to the definition of for-profit facilities for special education pupils and the state mandate reimbursements that are allowed by state law. Without SB 292, counties will be forced to find alternative and possibly more costly arrangements for hundreds of children with serious emotional issues.
The bill was amended on June 11 to include a sunset date of January 1, 2012 and requires the Department of Mental Health, in collaboration with the Department of Education, to report to the Legislature on the impacts of this bill.
For these reasons, CSAC supports SB 292. The bill was passed by the Assembly Education Committee on June 25 and now goes to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SB 1457 (Steinberg) – Support
As Amended on June 2, 2008
SB 1457, by Senator Darrell Steinberg, would create the California ScholarShare Advancement Vehicle for Education (CalSAVE) Scholarship Program to award scholarships to needy students.
SB 1457 would expand the number of funders, whether they are individuals, corporations, or not-for-profit organizations, which can contribute to California’s ScholarShare 529 college saving plans for vulnerable youth, which include foster youth. Current statute does not allow ScholarShare to accept contributions from businesses or companies that would like to establish accounts for students and youth unless a specific individual beneficiary is named for each account. SB 1457 would change the statute to allow businesses and companies to donate or contribute money to fund future scholarship accounts.
CSAC supports the bill, which is on the Assembly Third Reading file.
AB 2070 (Bass) – Support
As Amended on April 21, 2008
AB 2070, by Assembly Member Karen Bass, would allow parents who are incarcerated or otherwise institutionalized to receive family reunification services to the greatest extent possible.
AB 2070 requires that the best interests of the child continue to be the core consideration by the court, while recognizing that parents who are in prison should have their specific situations taken into account when the child welfare system is considering whether they can be reunited with their children safely and within a timely manner.
AB 2070 would also extend reunification time frames up to a maximum of 24 months, on a case-by-case basis and according to standards set forth by the most recent version of the bill. However, the extension would not be automatic, and a judge would have to apply the strict criteria in the bill to extend the reunification period another 6 months. Counties believe that the bill would help reunify more children who are placed in long-term foster care by allowing the court to provide a second period of family reunification services if it is in the best interest of the child.
AB 2070 provides a useful option for child welfare agencies in their mission to ensure the health and safety of every child and family. CSAC supports the bill, which was passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 24. AB 2070 will be heard next by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 2337 (Beall) – Support
As Amended on April 2, 2008
AB 2337, by Assembly Member Jim Beall, would add drug and alcohol counselors to the list of people who are mandated to report known or suspected child abuse. CSAC supports the bill, which was passed by the Senate Public Safety Committee on June 24. AB 2337 will be heard next in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 2399 (Portantino/Berg) – Support
As Amended on April 30, 2008
AB 2399, by Assembly Members Anthony Portantino and Patty Berg, would allow foster youth placed with non-related legal guardians whose guardianships were established by the juvenile dependency court to access the Independent Living Program (ILP).
ILP is an excellent resource for teens in foster care, offering comprehensive life skills training and information about education, training, housing, and other key services within communities. AB 2399 was drafted to allow youth who were eligible to participate in the ILP at one time to again access those services. The bill is needed because the California Department of Social Services advised counties two years ago that certain youth were no longer eligible for ILP services due to a reinterpretation of federal law. Because of this, an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 youth were denied these critical services designed to help them become healthy, independent adults.
In addition, AB 2399 would allow these youth to apply for post-secondary education grants under the federal Chafee program. Again, having access to these grants could mean the difference between a successful adult life and the often tragic outcomes that befall far too many of California’s emancipated foster youth.
For these reasons, CSAC supports AB 2399. The bill was passed by the Senate Human Services Committee on June 25 and now goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 2618 (Solorio) – Support
As Amended on March 24, 2008
AB 2618, by Assembly Member Jose Solorio, would enhance child safety by allowing county welfare and adoption agencies to access the Child Abuse Central Index (CACI) when conducting background checks on potential employees who would have direct access to abused and neglected children in the course of their employment.
The Penal Code allows law enforcement agencies and local special advocate programs access to CACI for running background checks on potential employees and volunteers. However, county child welfare and adoption agencies cannot currently use CACI for this purpose.
The core mission of county child welfare and adoption agencies is to protect the health and welfare of abused and neglected children. As such, these agencies employ many people and volunteers who work directly with underage clients, and they routinely perform basic background checks on any potential employees. AB 2618 would give these agencies access to CACI, which will help ensure that hiring decisions are made with the most complete information available.
For these reasons, CSAC supports AB 2618. The bill is expected to be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee soon.
AB 2904 (Hayashi) – Support
As Amended on June 11, 2008
AB 2904, by Assembly Member Mary Hayashi, would allow county boards of supervisors with foster care populations of more than 10,000 youths to receive and review certain information relating to the death of a child who was receiving county child welfare services or had previously come to the attention of the county child welfare agency.
CSAC supports the bill, which was passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 24.
Medi-Cal
SB 1738 (Steinberg) – Support
As Amended on June 18, 2008
SB 1738, by Senator Darrell Steinberg, would create a Frequent Users of Health Care Pilot Program.
The pilot program envisioned in the bill would be implemented in at least six counties and would be limited to 2,500 Medi-Cal patients who are frequent users of health services, and have at least two risk factors, such as chronic, life-threatening conditions that require medical management, such as mental illness, substance abuse disorders, and homelessness. SB 1738 will produce savings for the state’s Medi-Cal Program by shrinking its reimbursement costs for emergency department care and hospitalizations that can be reduced or avoided by managing the frequent user population.
Recent amendments require a three-year implementation of the program, after which the Department of Health Care Services must report back to the Legislature on the effectiveness of the program. This must be done no later than November 1, 2012. The bill also now specifies that state funds may be used for the nonfederal share only to the extent that such funds are available.
CSAC, along with the Urban Counties Caucus, continue to support the bill, which was passed by the Assembly Health Committee on June 24. The bill will be heard next in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 851 (Brownley) – Support
As Amended on June 4, 2008
AB 851, a bill by Assembly Member Julia Brownley, would eliminate the sunset date on the 250 Percent Working Disabled Poverty Program, which provides Medi-Cal coverage to persons with disabilities who are employed and earning up to 250% of the federal poverty limit.
CSAC supports AB 851. The bill was passed by the Senate Health Committee on June 18 and is scheduled to be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee on June 30.
CalWORKs
AB 2368 (Fuentes) – Support
As Introduced on February 21, 2008
AB 2368, by Assembly Member Felipe Fuentes, would exclude the value of a licensed motor vehicle from consideration when determining or redetermining CalWORKs eligibility.
AB 2368 would help a certain set of applicants and recipients who own or obtain a car, thereby making it easier for them to travel to and from work and other job-related activities required by the CalWORKs program. Furthermore, AB 2368 will help county eligibility workers and applicants avoid a valuation process that is often cumbersome and confusing. The amount of documentation and research required to ascertain the fair market value of a motor vehicle could be better spent in assessing the job skills and workforce readiness of applicants, thereby accelerating their progress toward job retention and self sufficiency.
For these reasons, CSAC supports AB 2368. The bill was passed by the Senate Human Services Committee on June 25 and now goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Human Services
SB 1136 (Alquist) – Support
As Amended on June 25, 2008
SB 1136, by Senator Elaine Alquist, would provide that it is an unfair or deceptive trade practice for any person to charge or receive an unreasonable fee for aiding another person in the procurement of public social services.
The bill, sponsored by Santa Clara County, was originally drafted in response to concerns about the opportunity for fraud and financial abuse associated with this cottage industry. Much of the concern arises over confusion about the Medi-Cal program. Senior citizens, fearful of entering nursing homes or outliving their assets, are being misled into paying for unnecessary planning services or unsuitable financial abuse. Preying on these confusions and fears are individuals calling themselves "Medi-Cal advocates," who advise seniors to "pre-qualify" for Medi-Cal and charge fees to assist in the application process.
SB 1136 will assist in protecting seniors and other vulnerable adults from this practice by making third parties who charge unreasonable fees liable for court costs and damages.
For these reasons, CSAC supports the bill. SB 1136 was passed by the Assembly Judiciary Committee on June 24 and now goes to the Assembly floor.
Mental Health
AB 1951 (Hayashi) – Support
As Amended June 19, 2008
AB 1951, by Assembly Member Mary Hayashi, was gutted and amended on June 19 with new language that would specify that the acquisition or construction of privately owned facilities that are providing mental health services that are primarily funded through moneys from the Mental Health Services Act (Proposition 63) is a proper use of the capital facilities funds made available to counties and is a public purpose for purposes of the California Constitution.
CSAC has taken a support position on AB 1951 as amended on June 19. The bill was passed by the Senate Health Committee on June 25.
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION
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