AB 114: Public health.

Existing law requests the University of California to establish and administer the Umbilical Cord Blood Collection Program, until January 1, 2018, for the purpose of collecting units of umbilical cord blood for public use, as defined, in transplantation and providing nonclinical units for specified research.

This bill would extend the provisions of the program until January 1, 2023. The bill would also require the University of California, by January 1, 2022, if it elects to administer the program, to provide a report to the Assembly and Senate Committees on Health that addresses various topics relating to the program, including, among other things, the number of cord blood units collected and registered under the program, disaggregated by race and ethnicity.

Until January 1, 2018, existing law requires an applicant to pay an $18 fee for a certified copy of a birth certificate, except as specified. Existing law requires $2 of the $18 fee to be paid to the Umbilical Cord Blood Collection Program Fund. Moneys in the fund are available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for purposes of the Umbilical Cord Blood Collection Program.

This bill would extend until January 1, 2023, the requirement that an applicant pay an $18 fee for a certified copy of a birth certificate and the requirement that $2 of that $18 fee be paid to the Umbilical Cord Blood Collection Program Fund. The bill would make conforming changes to related provisions.

Under existing law, the University of California has established the California Health Benefit Review Program pursuant to a request by the Legislature. Under existing law, specified members of the Legislature are authorized to request analysis by the university of legislation that proposes to mandate a health benefit or service or proposes to repeal a mandated health benefit or service, as defined. Under existing law, the university is requested to provide the analysis to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature within 60 days after receiving a request for the analysis.

Existing law establishes the Health Care Benefits Fund to support the university in implementing the program. Existing law imposes an annual charge on health care service plans and health insurers, as specified, to be deposited into the fund. Existing law prohibits the total annual assessment pursuant to that provision from exceeding $2,000,000. Under existing law, the fund and the program become inoperative on July 1, 2017, and are repealed as of January 1, 2018.

This bill would extend the operation of the program and the fund for 3 years, and would authorize the continued assessment of the annual charge on health care service plans and health insurers for that purpose for 3 years.

This bill would make these provisions inoperative on July 1, 2020, and would repeal them as of January 1, 2021.

Existing law, the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), an initiative measure enacted by the voters by Proposition 63 at the November 2, 2004, statewide general election, establishes the continuously appropriated Mental Health Services Fund to fund various county mental health programs by imposing a tax of 1% on annual incomes above $1,000,000. The MHSA establishes the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission to oversee various parts of the act, as specified. Under the MHSA, funds are distributed to counties for local assistance, and must be spent for their authorized purpose within 3 years or revert to the state to be deposited into the fund and be available for other counties in future years. The MHSA permits amendment by the Legislature by a ²/₃ vote of each house if the amendment is consistent with, and furthers the intent of, the MHSA.

This bill would amend the MHSA by instead requiring any funds subject to reversion as of July 1, 2017, to be reallocated to the county of origin for the purposes for which they were originally allocated. The bill would provide that as a county receives approval from the commission of a plan for innovative programs, the funds identified in the plan would not revert until 3 years after the date of the approval, but that funds allocated to a county with a population of less than 200,000 would not revert until 5 years, or 5 years after the date of the approval, as specified. The bill would also require funds subject to reversion on or after July 1, 2017, to be reallocated to other counties for the purposes for which the unspent funds were initially allocated to the original county. The bill would require the department, on or before July 1, 2018, to prepare a report to the Legislature identifying the funds subject to reversion prior to July 1, 2017, as specified. The bill would require counties with unspent funds subject to reversion that are deemed reverted and reallocated to prepare a plan to expend these funds on or before July 1, 2020. By imposing additional duties on counties, this bill would create a state-mandated local program. The bill would additionally require the department to annually publish a report on its Internet Web site relating to the funds subject to reversion, as specified. The bill would make legislative findings and declarations stating that the provisions of this bill are consistent with, and further the intent of, the act.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

This bill would appropriate $100,000 from the Mental Health Services Fund to the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission to develop a statewide suicide prevention plan.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.