LEGISLATIVE UPDATE - 04/28/2025
AB 92 - Patient Visitation (Gallagher).The bill would require health facilities to develop alternate visitation protocols, if circumstances require a health facility to restrict visitor access to the facility due to health or safety concerns, that allow visitation to the greatest extent possible while maintaining patient, visitor, and staff health and safety. Additionally, the bill would prohibit a health facility from prohibiting in-person visitation in end-of-life situations unless the patient has indicated to the health facility staff that the patient does not want this person to visit, as specified, and would authorize a health facility to require visitors to adhere to personal protective equipment and testing protocols not greater than those required of facility staff for the duration of their visit. AB 92 has been referred to the Assembly Health Committee.
AB 220 – Medi-Cal Subacute Care Services (Jackson). AB 220 would require a health facility that provides pediatric or adult subacute care services to submit Form 6200 or 6200A along with the treatment authorization request. The bill would also prohibit a managed care plan from developing or using its own criteria for medical necessity for subacute care beyond that required by those forms and prohibits a plan from requiring an additional authorization following a bed-hold. Additionally, AB 220 requires the California Department of Health Care Services to develop and implement procedures, and impose sanctions, to ensure compliance from managed care plans. AB 220 has been re-referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 251 – Elders and Dependent Adults: Abuse or Neglect (Kalra). AB 251 is a reintroduction of AB 2773 from the previous session. This bill would apply a preponderance of the evidence standard to any claim brought against a residential care facility for the elderly or a skilled nursing facility, except as specified, for remedies sought pursuant to the above provisions, upon circumstances in which spoliation of evidence, as defined, has been committed by the defendant, as specified. CAHF has taken a neutral position on AB 251, neither opposing or supporting the bill. AB 251 is currently in the Senate Rules Committee awaiting assignment.
AB 485 – Labor Commissioner: Unsatisfied Judgments: Nonpayment of Wages (Ortega). Under existing law, the Labor Commissioner may use an array of enforcement mechanisms to compel the payment of unpaid wages. This includes issuing a stop work order against an employer that has ignored a judgment for unpaid wages — essentially shutting down a business. AB 485 takes this one step further by requiring the Labor Commissioner to notify the applicable state agency and the applicable state agency to deny a new license or permit. There is no discretion at any level to review the issue or consider alternate solutions which is why CAHF is in opposition to the bill. AB 485 would expand existing wage theft enforcement mechanisms by threatening the licensure of long-term care (LTC) facilities—including skilled nursing facilities—ultimately impacting patient care and access to vital health care services. AB 485 has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee’s suspense file.
AB 583 – Death Certificates (Pellerin). AB 583 would authorize the medical and health section data and the time of death on a death certificate to be completed and attested to by a licensed nurse practitioner in the case where a patient is in a skilled nursing or intermediate care facility. AB 583 is currently on the Assembly floor being read for a third time.
AB 682 – Health Care Coverage Reporting (Ortega). AB 682 would create a state-mandated local program requiring the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance to publish financial statements, including claim statuses (denied, processed, adjudicated, or partially denied), for each plan or insurer on its respective website. AB 682 has been referred to the Assembly Health Committee.
AB 835- Medi-Cal: Skilled Nursing Facility Services (Calderon). AB 835 is a CAHF sponsored bill seeking to remove the requirement that Medi-Cal SNF providers must be contracted network providers to receive WQIP payments by aligning with state law and federal rules. The bill clarifies that consistent with federal law, network provider status is not a requirement to qualify for directed WQIP payments, assuring SNFS can qualify for WQIP payments in the near term. Additionally, AB 835 will reduce current barriers to efficient, quick calculations and distributions of WQIP payments to Medi-Cal providers. AB 835 has been re-referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 960 – Patient Visitation (R. Garcia). AB 960 would require a health facility to allow a patient with dementia, and demonstrated need, to have a family or friend caregiver with them as needed unless certain conditions are met. These conditions include, but are not limited to, the facility reasonably determining that the presence of the visitor poses health, safety, or operational risks, or the patient does not wish for them to visit. AB 960 would give health facilities the authorization to require visitors adhere to personal protective equipment and testing protocols and allows for the health facility to establish other reasonable restrictions on visitation. The bill stipulates that there are no new liabilities and there are no additional costs for local agencies. AB 960 has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 974 – Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans: Exemption from Mandatory Enrollment (Patterson). AB 974 would exempt dual eligible and non-dual-eligible individuals who receive regional center services and use a Medi-Cal fee-for-service as secondary health care coverage to opt out of mandatory Medi-Cal Managed Care enrollment. AB 974 has been re-referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 1068 – Emergency Services Available During Natural Disasters (Bains). AB 1068 would create a working group, led by the California Department of Aging and the California Health and Human Services Agency, to make recommendations regarding the evacuation and sheltering needs of older adults and persons with disabilities living in long-term care facilities during natural, technological, or manmade disasters and emergencies. The bill would require the Secretary of CalHHS to submit the recommendations no later than July 1, 2026 and would repeal that requirement on January 1, 2026. AB 1068 has been re-referred to the Assembly Emergency Management Committee.
AB 1220 – Regional Centers: Transparency and Accountability (Arambula). The Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act requires the State Department of Developmental Services to contract with regional centers to provide services and supports to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. AB 1220 would introduce legislation focused on enhancing transparency and accountability within the regional center system and includes relevant findings and declarations to support this goal. AB 1220 has been re-referred to the Assembly Human Services Committee.
AB 1415 – California Health Care Quality and Affordability Act (Bonta). The California Health Care Quality and Affordability Act established the Office of Health Care Affordability to monitor and manage health care costs, develop cost-lowering policies, and ensure affordability through setting and enforcing cost targets. Current law defines multiple terms relating to these provisions, including “health care gentility” and “provider.” AB 1415 would expand and update definitions applying to these provisions to include “management services organization” as well as expand the definition of “provider” and “health system.” Additionally, AB 1415 requires health care and related entities, like private equity groups and hedge funds, to notify the Office of Health Care Affordability about significant transactions or agreements affecting material assets. AB 1415 has been referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SB 29 – Civil Actions: Decedents Cause of Death (Laird). SB 29 would eliminate restrictions on recovering damages for pain, suffering, or disfigurement and remove the reporting requirements, allowing for all pre-death damages to be generally recoverable by the decedent’s representative or successor. SB 29 has been referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee and placed on the committee suspense file.
SB 250 – Medi-Cal Provider Directory: Skilled Nursing Facilities (Ochoa Bogh). SB 250 would require the California Department of Health Care Services, as a part of the Medi-Cal Managed Care Health Care Options website, include skilled nursing facilities as one of the available searchable provider types. SB 250 has been placed on the Senate Appropriations Committee's suspense file.
SB 310 – Failure to Pay Wages: Penalties (Wiener). Current law allows for unpaid wages to be claimed by an employee as a statutory penalty or by the Labor Commissioner as a civil penalty, not through independent civil action. SB 310 builds upon existing law allowing for unpaid wages to be claimed through independent civil action which is why CAHF opposes SB 310. SB 310 has been re-referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 422 – California Workforce Development Board: Developmental Services (Grayson). SB 422 would require the California Workforce Development Board to review existing recommendations and create a report for the Governor and the Legislature outlining strategies for tackling workforce shortages in California’s developmental services system. Additionally, the bill requires the state Department of Developmental Services to provide staff support and expertise to the board for this purpose. SB 422 has been re-referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 435 – Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly: Emergency Backup Power Source (Wahab). SB 435 would require residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFE) to have an alternative power source by January 1, 2027 to protect residents’ health and safety for no fewer than 72 hours during any type of power outage. It would impose specific compliance requirements based on whether the facility uses a generator as its alternative source of power, or batteries or a combination of batteries in tandem with a renewable electrical generation facility as well as require RCFEs to indicate information on the source of power within the emergency and disaster plan by January 1, 2027. The bill imposes a state-mandated local program. SB 435 has been re-referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 471 – Office of the Lanterman Ombudsperson (Menjivar). SB 471 would establish the Office of the Lanterman Ombudsperson within the state Department of Developmental Services to provide individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who work with regional centers with issues related to their care, placement, or services. This office would help resolve issues for individuals using developmental services by providing information, training, and investigating complaints. Additionally, the bill would clarify that the Office of the Self-Determination Ombudsperson is a separate office, but would also require the Lanterman Ombudsperson to oversee the Office of the Self-Determination Ombudsperson. SB 471 has been re-referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
SB 582 – Health and Care Facilities: Licensing During Emergencies or Disasters (Stern). SB 582 would require skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) to submit an evacuation plan to the medical health operational area coordinator (MHOAC) that can be implemented when an evacuation is required due to an emergency, natural disaster, wildfire, or other cause. Additionally, the plan must be maintained with the county medical and health disaster plan while allowing the MHOAC, or other specified individual or entity, to recommend revisions to the plan. SNFs must incorporate the recommendations and revisions if they are feasible and doable all while imposing a state-mandated local program. SB 582 has been re-referred to the Senate Health Committee with a recommendation to the consent calendar.
SB 660 – California Health and Human Services Data Exchange Framework (Menjivar). SB 660 would require the Center for Data Insights and Innovation, within the California Health and Human Services Agency, on or before January 1, 2026, and subject to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act, to take over the establishment, implementation, and all of the functions related to the California Health and Human Services Data Exchange Framework. This includes the data sharing agreement and policies and procedures, from the agency as well as expanding the California Health and Human Services Data Exchange Framework to include social services information. SB 660 has been re-referred to the Senate Health Committee.