October 4, 2024

By: Sumaira Akbarzada, MPH and Shirley Lam, MPH

2024 Legislation Round Up

This year, Governor Newsom signed 84 percent of the bills that crossed his desk by the September 30, 2024, deadline. Here is a round-up of some significant health and health-related bills signed into law and some vetoed (shown in italics). We have grouped them into ITUP’s three policy focus areas: health care coverage and access, delivery system transformation (workforce), and the future of health.

Note: This blog is not a comprehensive list of all the health and health-related bills that went to the Governor’s desk this year. If you have any questions about a bill not listed here, please get in touch with us at info@itup.org.

Additionally, we noted with icons which bills address:

Health Care Coverage and Access

Health Care Coverage Cost Sharing: AB 2258 (Zbur), Chapter 708, Statutes of 2024—Effective January 1, 2025, this bill prohibits non-grandfathered health care plans or health insurance policies, issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2025, from charging patients out-of-pocket costs or cost-sharing requirements for preventive care services and screenings. Preventive care services and screenings include home test kits for sexually transmitted, cervical cancer, and colorectal cancer screenings, and prophylaxis for HIV infection. In addition, AB 2258 states the violation of this law would constitute a crime, and authorizes the Commissioner of the Department of Insurance to fine a health insurance plan up to $5,000 for each rule they break. AB 2258 states that if the health insurance plan breaks the rule on purpose, the fine can go up to $10,000 for that violation.

Social Determinants of Health Screening and Outreach: AB 2250 (Weber)(Vetoed), this bill would have required health care plans or health insurance policies issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027, to cover screenings that look into social determinants of health. In addition, this bill would have required doctors to use standard codes to record patients’ answers during their screenings and follow established guidelines for conducting them. AB 2250 would have required health care plans to ensure primary care doctors have access to support from allied health workers (i.e., peer support specialists, social workers, or community health workers) in areas where their patients live.

In addition, AB 2250 stated that violating these requirements would be considered a crime and would have established a program to enforce this. AB 2250 would have made social determinants of health screenings a covered benefit for Medi-Cal members, ensuring they get reimbursed for them. However, AB 2250 would have only gone into effect if the state allocates funds for it.  

Hospital and Emergency Physician Fair Pricing Policies: AB 2297 (Friedman), Chapter 511, Statutes of 2025—Effective January 1, 2025, this bill authorizes emergency doctors to offer discounts to patients with incomes over 400% of the federal poverty level (FPL). In addition, AB 2297 clarifies that “high medical costs” include any out-of-pocket expenses not covered by insurance, like copays.

AB 2297 prohibits hospitals from considering both income and assets to determine eligibility for charity care and the discount payment policies but authorizes hospitals to look at any health savings accounts. In addition, AB 2297 revises the definition of a patient’s family and requires that eligibility be assessed based on recent income documents. In addition, AB 2297 prohibits hospitals or emergency physicians from setting deadlines for applying for discounts or denying eligibility based on when a patient applies. AB 2297 authorizes a hospital or emergency physician to waive certain costs for Medi-Cal and Medicare patients.

AB 2297 also eliminates the ability for hospitals and emergency physicians to consider monetary assets when deciding how much debt they can recover from eligible patients. In addition, AB 2297 expands existing rules to prevent hospitals or emergency physicians from placing liens on any property to collect unpaid bills, meaning they cannot threaten to take a patient’s property over medical debt.

AB 2297 clarifies what “charity care” and “discount payment” mean and would allow hospitals to refund patients if it turns out they qualified for financial help when first billed. In addition, AB 2297 requires the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) to also enforce these provisions for violations from January 1, 2024, onward, and they will handle penalties for violations occurring from January 1, 2022, onward, if they stem from the same investigation.

AB 2297 includes additional changes related to another bill, SB 1061, that would only take effect if both bills are passed and this one is enacted last.

Delivery System Transformation

Licensed Physicians and Dentists from Mexico Programs: AB 2860 (Garcia), Chapter 246, Statutes of 2024—Effective January 1, 2025, this bill repeals the existing Licensed Physicians and Dentists from Mexico Pilot Program and establishes two new programs: the Licensed Physicians from Mexico Program and the Licensed Dentists from Mexico Pilot Program. In addition, this bill revises requirements, removing the mandate for Mexican physicians to enroll in English classes and instead requiring them to complete the Test of English as a Foreign Language or Occupational English Test. The orientation program duration is no longer fixed at six months and must include training on electronic medical records and medical chart standards. The externship requirement is also removed, along with the provision for a program evaluation funded by philanthropic foundations.

Starting January 1, 2025, this bill authorizes the Medical Board of California to issue a limited number of nonrenewable three-year licenses to eligible physicians. Federally qualified health centers employing these physicians must adhere to specific peer review protocols and collaborate with approved medical schools or residency programs. The bill outlines the roles of various entities in candidate recruitment and program compliance and imposes associated fees. In addition, the bill makes legislative findings supporting the need for this special statute.

Licensed Physicians and Dentists from Mexico Pilot Program Extension of Licenses: AB 2864 (Garcia), Chapter 247, Statutes of 2024—Effective immediately, this bill requires the Medical Board of California to extend the license of eligible physicians from Mexico for an additional three years upon request from both the physicians and the Chief Executive Officer of their employing community health clinic. To qualify for the extension, the physician must have an active license at the time of the request and must pay a specified fee. In addition, the bill makes legislative findings regarding the necessity of this special statute which will be repealed on January 1, 2025. This bill declares it is designated as an urgency statute.

Healing Arts Expedited Licensure Process: SB 1067 (Smallwood-Cuevas) (Vetoed), Effective March 1, 2025, this bill would have required the Board of Behavioral Sciences, the Board of Registered Nursing, the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians of the State of California, the California State Board of Pharmacy, the Dental Board of California, the Dental Hygiene Board of California, and the Podiatric Medical Board of California, and the Physician Assistant Board to speed up licensing processes for applicants who plan to work in areas that lack enough medical services or serve underserved populations. To qualify for this faster review, applicants needed to demonstrate their intent to work in these areas by providing a letter from their employer with specific information. In addition, this bill would have required the employer to sign the letter to confirm that the details are accurate. The sunset date for SB 1067 would have been on January 1, 2029.  

Healing Arts Expedited Licensure Process: Gender-Affirming Health Care and Gender-Affirming Mental Health Care: AB 2442 (Zbur) (Vetoed), this bill would have required the Medical Board of California, the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, the Board of Registered Nursing, and the Physician Assistant Board to speed up the licensing process for an applicant who demonstrates intent to provide gender-affirming health care and gender-affirming mental health care. In addition, this bill would have outlined how these applicants need to show their intention to practice in this area. The sunset date for AB 2442 will be on January 1, 2029.

Medi-Cal Call Centers Standards and Data: SB 1289 (Roth), Chapter 792, Statutes of 2024—Effective January 1, 2026, this bill requires counties with call centers to gather and send data about their operations every month. This includes information about call volume, waiting times, and how often calls are dropped.

In addition, SB 1289 requires the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to create a report with call center data, ensuring no personal information is included. SB 1289 requires DHCS to post this report online every three months, with the first one due by May 15, 2026. DHCS will be required to implement these rules without any extra steps at first, by sending a letter to all counties, however, they will establish more detailed regulations later.

Transforming California’s Behavioral Health and Substance Use Disorder System

Psychological Associates at Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics: AB 2703 (Aguiar-Curry), Chapter 638, Statutes of 2024—Effective January 1, 2025, this bill allows licensed professional clinical counselors to be included among the list of providers serving at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs). In addition, AB 2703 allows FQHCs and RHCs to add marriage and family therapy services without needing to file for a change in their service scope, removing the prior requirement and streamlining the process. AB 2703 adds a psychological associate or associate professional clinical counselor and requires DHCS to seek federal approvals that allow FQHCs and RHCs to bill DHCS for their services under similar conditions. In addition, AB 2703 makes adjustments to ensure proper supervision by licensed behavioral health professionals as required by the associate’s applicable clinical licensing board.

Medi-Cal Behavioral Health Services Documentation Standards: AB 1470 (Quirk-Silva) (Vetoed), this bill, as part of a larger initiative, California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM), would have required DHCS to standardize the information needed for paperwork related to mental health services, including criteria for what is considered medically necessary. In addition, AB 1370 would have required DHCS to create standard forms to help process claims. Additionally, by July 1, 2025, AB 1370 would have required DHCS to hold regional training sessions for staff and provider networks, including county mental health plans and Medi-Cal managed care plans, and entities within the fee-for-service delivery system, to teach them how to fill out these standard forms correctly. AB 1370 would have required each organization to share the training materials and forms with their networks and start using them by the same deadline. In addition, AB 1370 would have authorized DHCS to limit extra paperwork requirements beyond what’s included on standard forms.

AB 1370 would have required DHCS to analyze how well these forms are being used and how effective the training has been. A report on these findings would have been due by July 1, 2026, with a follow-up report by July 1, 2028, both of which would have been shared with the Legislature and posted online.

Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment: SB 1320 (Wahab), Chapter 135, Statutes of 2024—Effective January 1, 2025, this bill mandates that health plans and insurers establish a process to reimburse providers for integrated mental health and substance use disorder treatment services linked to primary care, effective for contracts or policies issued, amended, or renewed after July 1, 2025. Willful violations by health care service plans would be considered a crime, creating a state-mandated local program. While the California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies for certain costs, this bill specifies that no reimbursement is necessary for certain reasons outlined within the act.  

Healing Arts Continuing Education Maternal Mental Health: AB 2581 (Maienschein), Chapter 836, Statutes of 2024—Effective January 1, 2025, this bill requires the Board of Registered Nursing, the Board of Psychology, the Physician Assistant Board, and the Board of Behavioral Sciences to consider adding a course on maternal mental health when they set their continuing education requirements. In addition, AB 2581 includes changes to certain sections of the Business and Professions Code, which will take effect only if this bill and other specific bills (AB 2270 (Maienschein) and SB 639 (Limón) are passed, and this bill is the last one to be signed into law.   

Improving Women’s Health/Reproductive Health Care Delivery

California Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act: AB 2319 (Wilson & Weber), Chapter 621, Statutes of 2024—Effective January 1, 2025, this bill states that the Legislature acknowledges and supports all birthing people, including nonbinary and transgender individuals, and requires certain health care providers in hospitals, birth centers, and primary care clinics to undergo training to address implicit bias in their care. In addition, AB 2319 requires current providers to complete this training by June 1, 2025, while new providers must complete it within six months of their start date unless they are exempt.

Starting in 2026, specified facilities must provide proof of compliance to the Attorney General by February 1 of each year; failure to comply authorizes the Attorney General to impose fines. In addition, AB 2319 requires the Attorney General to be awarded all attorney’s fees and costs from these cases and authorizes the Attorney General to publish a list of facilities that don’t comply on their website, along with other relevant compliance information. Every two years, AB 2319 authorizes the Attorney General to publish a report on compliance with these requirements. In addition, if any part of this bill is found to be invalid, AB 2319 deems the other sections will still stand.

Practice of Medicine Arizona Physicians Abortions and Abortion-Related Care of Arizona Patients: SB 233 (Skinner), Chapter 11, Statutes of 2024—Effective through November 30, 2024, SB 233 authorizes Arizona doctors who meet certain requirements to practice medicine in California to provide abortions and abortion-related care to patients who are Arizona residents traveling from Arizona to California for these services. In addition, SB 233 requires Arizona doctors to apply for registration with the California Medical Board or the Osteopathic Medical Board before practicing abortion and abortion-related care in California. Before practicing in California, Arizona doctors must submit certain information, including proof from the Arizona Medical Board that their medical license is valid and allows them to perform abortion and abortion-related care. In addition, SB 233 requires a signed declaration affirming compliance with all registration requirements, with any false statements constituting a misdemeanor offense.

SB 233 has a sunset date of January 1, 2025, and states the California Boards must keep registrants’ information private and treat registered doctors as if they have a California license, allowing the boards to enforce rules against them.

Sexual Health: SB 954 (Menjivar) (Vetoed), this bill would have required the State Department of Education to annually monitor if schools comply with the requirements of the California Healthy Young Act. In addition, SB 954 would have made, by the start of the 2025-26 school year, all public high schools (grades 9 to 12) provide free internal and external condoms to students. SB 954 would have required schools to inform students at the beginning of each year about where to get condoms and post notices with information on how to use them. In addition, SB 954 would have required schools serving grades 7 to 12 to distribute condoms during the course of educational or public health programs and initiatives. In addition, SB 954 would have authorized the Department of Education and public schools to accept donations, including condoms from manufacturers. SB 954 would have encouraged public schools to explore partnerships with local health departments, community health centers, nonprofit organizations, and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). In addition, SB 954 would have required schools to designate one staff member to oversee the implementation of these provisions to ensure that school-based health centers can provide condoms without restrictions.

Medi-Cal Providers Family Planning: SB 1131 (Gonzalez), Chapter 880, Statutes of 2024—Effective January 1, 2025, this bill requires that a site certifier (a clinician overseeing Family PACT services) at primary care clinics be a qualified clinician and authorizes certain clinic groups to enroll up to 10 locations under one certifier. In addition, SB 1131 requires any orientation or training that DHCS requires to be offered online and at least every other month.

SB 1131 authorizes DHCS to choose not to disenroll someone if the suspension is based on behavior that is not considered unprofessional in California. In addition, changes outlined in SB 1131 will only take effect if federal approval is received and funding is available.

Maternal Mental Health Screenings: , Chapter 815, Statutes of 2024—Effective January 1, 2025, this bill requires maternal mental health programs designed by health care plans and health insurers to include at least one mental health screening during pregnancy and another screening within the first six weeks after giving birth. AB 1936 requires additional screenings to be completed later if the health care provider believes they are necessary.

Addressing Social Determinants of Health

Homeless Multidisciplinary Personnel Teams: AB 1948 (Rendon), Chapter 95, Statutes of 2024—Effective January 1, 2025, this bill authorizes the County of San Mateo to expand the objectives of its multidisciplinary team for homeless adults and families. It also removes the January 1, 2025, repeal date, making these provisions effective indefinitely. In addition, this bill includes legislative findings supporting the need for a special statute for several counties, including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside San Bernardino, San Diego, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Ventura.

The California Guaranteed Income Statewide Feasibility Study Act: AB 2263 (Friedman) (Vetoed), this bill would have required the Department of Social Services (CDSS) to contract one or more organizations to conduct a study on the feasibility of a statewide Guaranteed Income Program. This study would have looked at whether it’s possible to expand guaranteed income programs to help California’s most vulnerable populations, especially in high-cost areas, and would have considered lessons learned from earlier pilot programs. AB 2263 would have required various state departments to share important data with CDSS and include a steering committee comprised of various stakeholders. In addition, AB 2263 would have required that by July 1, 2027, CDSS publish a report on its website and provide it to the Governor and the Legislature. This report would have had to cover the feasibility and benefits of expanding the Guaranteed Income Program across California based on the study’s findings.

AB 2263 would have authorized CDSS to implement, interpret, or specify the Guaranteed Income Statewide Feasibility Study Act without needing to go through additional regulatory steps, and accept and spend funds to help implement this program, as long as the money is allocated in the budget.

Medi-Cal Diapers: AB 2446 (Ortega) (Vetoed), this bill would have established diapers as a covered Medi-Cal benefit for children over 3 years old who have a medical condition causing incontinence, as well as for individuals under 21 if it’s needed to improve their condition. In addition, AB 2446 would have limited the number of diapers provided based on the person’s age and their specific medical needs.

AB 2446 would have required DHCS to seek any necessary federal approvals to implement this new benefit. The implementation of these benefits would have been dependent on receiving those approvals, getting federal funding, and securing funding from the Legislature.

Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities Housing Stability Act: SB 37 (Caballero) (Vetoed), this bill, upon appropriation of funding from the Legislature, would have required the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) on January 1, 2025, to start a pilot program to help older adults and adults with disabilities who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

In addition, SB 37 would have required HCD to offer competitive grants to nonprofit organizations, public housing authorities, and agencies that work with older adults. These grants would have funded housing subsidies in up to five areas or counties where older renters struggle with high rent costs. SB 37 would have required HCD to prioritize communities where a larger number of older adult renters are facing severe financial burdens related to rent. In addition, SB 37 would have created the Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities Housing Stability Fund from which funds would be allocated by HCD to selected recipients for three years.

SB 37 would have required organizations receiving these grants to use the funds for various activities, including providing housing subsidies to help cover rent until participants can get longer-term support, no longer need assistance, or the funding period ends. Organizations could have also used some of the funds to help with relocation costs if a landlord decided to evict a tenant or leave the program. In addition, this bill would have authorized grantees to spend up to 15% of their funding on recruiting landlords, offering incentives, and providing services to help tenants transition to stable housing.

SB 37 would have required HCD to oversee the program, requiring grant recipients to report on their activities and hire an independent evaluator to assess the programs and report the findings to the Legislature.

Unemployment Excluded Workers Program: SB 227 (Durazo), Chapter 11, Statutes of 2024—Through November 30, 2024, this bill authorizes a physician licensed to practice medicine in Arizona, who meets certain requirements, to practice medicine in California for the purpose of providing abortions and abortion-related care to patients who are Arizona residents traveling from Arizona, upon application for registration with the Medical Board of California or the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, as applicable.

Community and Rural Health Clinics Building Standards: SB 1382 (Glazer), Chapter 796, Statutes of 2024—Effective January 1, 2025, this bill requires the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) set construction standards for community clinics and rural health clinics that meet safety and accessibility requirements to qualify for federal Medicare and Medicaid programs. If these standards are changed, SB 1382 prohibits the amended standards from being stricter than the existing ones. In addition, SB 1382 requires HCAI to hold at least two public meetings to gather feedback on the proposed new standards.

SB 1382 removes the existing restriction prohibiting building standards for construction or alteration from being more restrictive or comprehensive than comparable building standards, thus allowing for more flexibility in the construction standards for clinics.

Future of Health

Telehealth:

Medi-Cal Telehealth: AB 2339 (Aguiar-Curry) (Vetoed), this bill would have expanded existing Medi-Cal definitions and exceptions to allow the use of asynchronous telehealth modalities to establish a new patient relationship when related to sensitive services. The bill would also have removed the requirement that a patient must attest to not having access to video when requesting the modality. In addition, AB 2339 would have stated that for purposes of Medi-Cal, asynchronous store and forward also includes asynchronous electronic transmission initiated directly by patients, including through mobile telephone applications.

Artificial Intelligence:

Artificial Intelligence Training Data Transparency: AB 2013 (Irwin), Chapter 817, Statutes of 2024—Effective January 1, 2025, this bill requires developers to post information on their websites about the data used to train any generative artificial intelligence (AI) system released on or after January 1, 2022. This must be done by January 1, 2026, and for every new AI system or significant update made available to Californians thereafter. The posted information must include a high-level summary of the datasets used to develop the AI system.

Generative Artificial Intelligence Accountability Act: SB 896 (Dodd), Chapter 928, Statutes of 2024—Effective January 1, 2025, this bill requires the California Department of Technology (CDT), under the guidance of the Government Operations Agency, the Office of Data and Innovation, and the Department of Human Resources, to update a report for the Governor, as mandated by Executive Order No. N-12-23.

SB 896 requires the Office of Emergency Services to assess potential risks that generative AI might pose to California’s critical infrastructure, especially threats that could lead to large-scale emergencies. SB 896 requires an annual high-level summary of the risk analysis be presented to the Legislature.

In addition, SB 896 any state agency or department that uses generative AI to communicate with Californians about government services must (1) include a disclaimer stating that the message was generated by AI and (2) provide information on how the person can contact a human of the state agency or department.

Artificial Intelligence Services: Safety, Privacy, and Nondiscrimination Standards SB 892 (Padilla): this bill would have required CDT to develop and adopt regulations for purchasing automated decision systems (ADS). In addition, SB 892 would have required CDT to consider guidelines and industry standards related to managing AI risks.

SB 892 would have required the ADS procurement standard to include a detailed process for assessing risks linked to these systems, methods for controlling those risks, and procedures for monitoring any negative incidents. In addition, SB 892 would have required CDT to collaborate with specified organizations to develop the ADS procurement standard and review and update the procurement standard and related regulations.

Starting January 1, 2027, SB 892 would have prohibited state agencies from buying an ADS or entering into contracts for services that use an ADS until CDT has established these procurement standards. Any contract for an ADS also would have included a completed risk assessment, ensure that appropriate risk controls are implemented, and specify how to monitor for potential adverse incidents.

Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Systems Act SB 1047 (Wiener): this bill would have required developers to meet certain safety and security requirements before training new AI models, ensuring the ability to quickly shut down the model and have a written safety protocol. SB 1047 would have required developers to keep a complete unredacted copy of the safety and security protocol for five years after the model is available and would have allowed the Attorney General to access it.

In addition, SB 1047 would have prohibited developers from using AI models in ways that pose an unreasonable risk of harm. Starting January 1, 2026, SB 1047 would have required developers to hire an independent auditor each year to check their compliance with these rules and keep a record of the audit for five years—which would have also been accessible to the Attorney General.

SB 1047 would have required developers submit a compliance statement to the Attorney General and report any safety incidents related to their AI models. Additionally, if someone runs a computing service that could train an AI model, SB 1047 would have required they have policies to assess customers’ intentions for using the service.

In addition, SB 1047 would have authorized the Attorney General to take legal action if necessary and also included protections for whistleblowers ensuring that employees can report compliance issues without fear of retaliation. SB 1047 would have established a Board of Frontier Models to oversee these regulations and require annual updates to definitions related to AI models.

SB 1047 would have required a consortium within the Government Operations Agency to develop a public cloud computing system called “CalCompute,” aimed at promoting safe and ethical AI development. In addition, SB 1047 would have required a report on this framework be submitted back to the Legislature by January 1, 2026. However, SB 1047 would only take effect if there were allocated funds within the budget. SB 1047 would also have required official statements be explicitly stated to justify any limits on public access to meetings or documents related to these regulations.

Health Care Coverage Utilization Review: SB 1120 (Becker), this bill requires insurers utilizing algorithms, artificial intelligence, and other software tools used for utilization review or utilization management functions to comply with specified requirements, including that they be fairly and equitably applied.  

Health Care Services Artificial Intelligence: AB 3030 (Calderon),  This bill would require any entity, such as a health facility, clinic, physician’s office, or group practice that uses a generative artificial intelligence tool to assist health care providers in communicating with patients, to ensure that those communications include (1) a disclaimer that indicates to the patient that a communication was generated by artificial intelligence and (2) clear instructions for the patient to access direct communications with a health care provider. In addition, this bill would exempt from this requirement communication read and reviewed by a human licensed or certified health care provider.

Data

Data Collection Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Intersex Status: SB 957 (Wiener), This bill requires CDPH to collect sexual orientation, gender identity, and variations in sex characteristics/intersex status (SOGISC) data from third-party entities, including local health jurisdictions, on any forms or electronic data systems unless prohibited by federal or state law. In addition, SB 957 only requires health care providers to disclose SGOISC information that is voluntarily self-identified and prohibits disclosures for individuals under 18 years of age.

Latino and Indigenous Disparities Reduction Act: SB 1016 (Gonzalez), Chapter 873, Statutes of 2024—Effective January 1, 2028, requires CDPH to categorize and report data on Hispanic or Latino groups separately when reporting on major disease and leading causes of death using standardized federal race and ethnicity categories from the federal Office Management and Budget’s Standards for Maintaining, Collecting, and Presenting Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. In addition, SB 1016 requires CDPH to use a separate collection category for each major Latino group and Mesoamerican Indigenous nation if that group or nation is not included in the standardized federal race and ethnicity categories. SB 1016 requires CDPH to include specified languages while collecting the preferred language of program participants.

In addition, SB 1016 requires CDPH to include collected data in every demographic report on ancestry, ethnic origins, or language of California residents that CDPH publishes or releases on or after July 1, 2029. SB 1016 requires CDPH to make the data publicly available, except for personal information, which remains confidential. SB 1016 requires CDPH to update their data collection to reflect additional Latino groups, Mesoamerican Indigenous nations, and language groups as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau.

CDPH is authorized to continue collecting and reporting demographic data in the format it was submitted if it was gathered through federal programs, or by other state or third-party entities. In addition, SB 1016 brings legislative findings to that effect.

Communicable Diseases HIV Reporting: SB 1333 (Eggman & Roth), Chapter 472, Statutes of 2024—Effective January 1, 2025, this bill requires employees and contractors to sign confidentiality agreements every year but removes the requirement for annual reviews of the agreements—increasing the responsibility for local health departments and thus creating a state-mandated program.

In addition, SB 1333 authorizes disclosure of confidential information when said information is necessary for the coordination of, linkage to, or re-engagement in care for a person. While current law allows local health agency staff to share information with state and federal agencies to improve reporting to the CDC about people with both HIV and other diseases, SB 1333 repeals that authority.

SB 1333 makes legislative findings and declarations about the benefits of sharing HIV-related data and states the intent of the Legislature to enhance these data-sharing practices.

What’s Next: Legislative Process Information

This year was the second year in California’s two-year legislative cycle. The next Legislative Session begins Monday, December 2, 2024.

This fall, stakeholders and Legislative offices are putting together ideas for bills that will be introduced in the next Legislative Session. While the exact date is not released by the Senate and the Assembly, the bill introduction for the first year of a Legislative Session is typically in mid-February 2025.