Three Bills Supported by CANP Still in Play as End of 2015-16 Legislative Session Nears

Lawmakers are wrapping up the 2015-16 California legislative session, which adjourns August 31.  With over 600 bills remaining on the floor for consideration, the pace at the Capitol is hectic as each house rushes to complete its business before the end of the month.  Several contentious measures remain and new bills have popped up in the form of late session "gut and amends," a process that allows new language to be inserted into existing bills.  August 12 was the fiscal committee deadline, so bills that did not pass out of the Appropriations committees in the opposite house by that date are dead for the year.

Nearly half of the bills initially flagged for consideration by CANP's Health Policy & Practice Committee (HPPC) are still alive and moving through the legislative process. Assembly Bill 1795 by former Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) passed out of the Senate with no opposition.  CANP has supported AB 1795 since its introduction because it increases access to breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment for uninsured and underinsured women in California.  It will now move to the Assembly Floor for concurrence before going to the Governor.

In June, the HPPC recommended to support Senate Bill 123 by Senator Carol Liu (D-La Canada Flintridge), which will improve coordination between state and local health and educational agencies in order to enhance school-based Medi-Cal services, resulting in increased access to health care for California’s most disadvantaged students.  SB 123 passed out of the Assembly and is back in the Senate for concurrence, where it is expected to pass before heading to the Governor’s desk.

Assembly Bill 1306, the bill by Assemblywoman Autumn Burke (D-Inglewood) to expand certified nurse midwives’ (CNMs) scope of practice, is also still alive, having recently cleared the Senate Business, Professions & Economic Development Committee.  Because of the removal of previous amendments which applied the corporate practice of medicine ban to CNMs, CANP has removed its opposition and is once again supportive of the bill.

Senate Bill 323, CANP’s sponsored bill that would eliminate physician supervision, failed the policy committee deadline and is dead for the session. After numerous discussions around potential amendments, consensus regarding the corporate practice of medicine ban could not be reached, so the Assembly Business and Professions Committee hearing for SB 323 was canceled.

After session adjourns, the Governor has until September 30 to act on all legislation that makes it to his desk during the last two weeks of session.