The Commission supported 12 bills that would implement its recommendations during the 2017-18 Legislative Session. The Commission only takes positions on legislation that would implement its recommendations. The measures that the Commission supported during the 2017-18 Legislative Session are in the areas of forest management, Salton Sea, veterans homes, special districts, Denti-Cal, occupational licensing, and the underground economy. Of those 12 bills, six were signed into law, two were vetoed and four failed to pass.
Denti-Cal
SB 707 (Cannella) Medi-Cal: Denti-Cal Advisory Group.
Summary: Establishes the Denti-Cal Advisory Group to study the policies and priorities of Denti-Cal with the goal of raising the utilization rate among eligible child beneficiaries to 60% or greater, providing assistance and advice to the department, the Legislature, and the Governor to ensure that proposed decisions relating to the Denti-Cal program are based on the best available evidence. The working group would study and evaluate how Denti-Cal program policies align with and support the implementation of the state oral health plan. This bill relates to the Commission’s 2016 report, Fixing Denti-Cal.
Final Action: Vetoed.
AB 15 (Maienschein) Denti-Cal program: reimbursement rates.
Summary: Requires the State Department of Health Care Services to double Denti-Cal provider reimbursement rates for the 15 most common prevention, treatment, and oral evaluation services for fiscal year 2017-18. Appropriations would be based on the average rates per service established in the 2015-16 fiscal year. This bill relates to the Commission’s 2016 report, Fixing Denti-Cal.
Final Action: Died.
Support Letter
Forest Management
SB 1260 (Jackson) Fire prevention and protection: prescribed burns.
Summary: This bill would augment opportunities to educate the public on prescribed burns and enhancing air quality and smoke monitoring. This bill relates to the Commission’s 2018 report, Fire on the Mountain: Rethinking Forest Management in the Sierra Nevada.
Final Action: Signed by the Governor.
Support Letter
AB 1956 (Limón) Fire prevention activities.
Summary: This bill creates a local grant program dedicated to fire prevention activities. This bill relates to the Commission’s 2018 report, Fire on the Mountain: Rethinking Forest Management in the Sierra Nevada.
Final Action: Signed by the Governor.
Support Letter
Occupational Licensing
SB 1371 (Morrell) Occupational licensing: list.
Summary: Requires the State of California to provide and maintain a list of the occupations it requires to be licensed. This bill relates to the Commission’s 2016 report, Jobs for Californians: Strategies to Ease Occupational Licensing Barriers.
Final Action: Died.
Support Letter
AB 827 (Rubio) Department of Consumer Affairs: task force: foreign-trained professionals.
Summary: Requires the Department of Consumer Affairs to create a task force to study and write a report of its findings and recommendations regarding the licensing of foreign-trained professionals with the goal of integrating foreign-trained professionals into the state’s workforce. Authorizes the task force to hold hearings and invite testimony from experts and the public to gather information. Also requires the task force to submit the report to the Legislature no later than January 1, 2019. Includes rules for the frequency of task force meetings and member reimbursement, including stipulation that the task force solicit input from the Little Hoover Commission and others. This bill relates to the Commission’s 2016 report, Jobs for Californians: Strategies to Ease Occupational Licensing Barriers.
Final Action: Held under submission in Assembly Appropriations.
Support Letter
Salton Sea
AB 798 (E. Garcia) Local government: counties: consolidation of offices.
Summary: Authorizes the board of supervisors of Imperial county to provide, by ordinance, that the public administrator be appointed by the board and authorize the board to, at any time, separate the consolidated offices of district attorney and public administrator. Includes provisions for changes to take effect immediately as an urgency statute. This bill relates to the Commission’s 2016 report, Letter to Governor Brown and the Legislature on the Salton Sea.
Final Action: Signed by the Governor.
Support Letter
Special Districts
AB 979 (Lackey) Local agency formation commissions: district representation.
Summary: Modified statutes related to independent special districts selection committees and representation of special districts on local agency formation commissions (LAFCOs). This bill relates to the Commission’s 2017 report, Special Districts: Improving Oversight & Transparency.
Final Action: Signed by the Governor.
Support Letter
SB 448 (Wieckowski) Local government: organization: districts.
Summary: Gives authority to Local Agency Formation Commissions to dissolve inactive special districts and requires State Controller, by 2019, to annually publish a list of all special districts in California. This bill relates to the Commission’s 2017 report, Special Districts: Improving Oversight & Transparency.
Final Action: Signed by the Governor.
Support Letter
Underground Economy
SB 1272 (Galgiani) Tax Recovery and Criminal Enforcement (TRaCE) Task Force.
Summary: Requires the State of California to expand the Tax Recovery and Criminal Enforcement (TRaCE) task force. This bill relates to the Commission’s 2015 report, Level the Playing Field: Put the Underground Economy Out of Business.
Final Action: Vetoed.
Support Letter
Veterans Homes
AB 1365 (Reyes) Veterans homes: planning strategy.
Summary: Requires CalVet, beginning January 1, 2019, to submit to the Legislature and online financial reports of the veterans homes, including specific information about the budget, revenue and cost of care by level at each home. Also requires CalVet to regularly review the use of each veterans home to determine its best continued use. The reviews would begin 15 years after opening, and continue every 5 years. This bill relates to the Commission’s 2017 report, A New Approach to California’s Veterans Homes.
Final Action: Signed by the Governor.
Support Letter
AB 1275 (Irwin) Department of Veterans Affairs: monitoring outcomes for veterans: Director of Employment Development: disclosure of information.
Summary: Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (CalVet) to develop outcome indicators for veterans for the purpose of assessing the status of veterans in California, monitoring the quality of programs intended to serve those veterans and guide decision-making on improving services to veterans. This bill relates to the Commission’s 2017 report, A New Approach to California’s Veterans Homes.
Final Action: Held under submission in Assembly Appropriations.
Support Letter