AB 40 (Bonta, D-Oakland)
Follow
Passed the Assembly Health Committee March 25. To be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 40 would have added “reproductive health services, including abortion,” to the definition of the “emergency services and care” that health facilities must provide to determine if an emergency medical condition or active labor exists. The author has accepted CHA’s amendments removing “reproductive health services, including abortion,” from the definition of “emergency services and care” (i.e., what must be done to determine whether an emergency medical condition exists), instead placing it in the list of care that may need to be provided to relieve or eliminate an emergency medical condition.
AB 290 (Bauer-Kahan, D-San Ramon)
Oppose
Introduced on Jan. 22. April 1 hearing in the Assembly Health Committee postponed by the committee.
AB 290 would make significant changes to California’s emergency services and care laws, including substantially increasing fines and civil penalties for various actions relating to emergency services and care, currently ranging from $1,000-$25,000, to a maximum of $1 million per violation. The bill would also eliminate both the current prohibition on duplicating federal fines, meaning hospitals could face both state and federal penalties for the same violation, as well as the cumulative maximum limit of $30,000 for state and federal fines for the same circumstances. Additionally, the bill would allow district attorneys or the attorney general to recover civil penalties of up to $1 million per violation of an injunction against noncompliance. It would also allow individuals and medical facilities suing a hospital for a violation of this article to recover punitive damages in addition to other allowed damages.
AB 447 (M. González, D-Los Angeles)
Support if Amended
Introduced on Feb. 6. April 8 hearing in the Assembly Business and Professions Committee. To be heard in the Assembly Health Committee
AB 447 would allow physicians or authorized prescribers to dispense an unused portion of a non-controlled medication to an emergency department (ED) patient upon discharge if all of the following conditions are met: the drug is not a controlled substance, the medication was previously ordered and administered to the patient during their ED visit, and dispensing the remaining portion is necessary to continue the patient’s treatment.
Assembly Business and Professions Committee Support If Amended Letter
AB 551 (Krell, D-Sacramento; Petrie-Norris, D-Irvine)
Follow
Introduced on Feb. 11. April 1 hearing in the Assembly Health Committee postponed by the committee.
AB 551 would create a grant program to support hospital emergency departments in expanding and enhancing access to reproductive health care. The program would provide funding, training, and technical assistance to participating hospitals that apply. This bill is identical to AB 2490 (Petrie-Norris, 2024), which was vetoed by the governor.