SB 116: Health omnibus trailer.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

(1)Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health facilities, including general acute care hospitals, acute psychiatric hospitals, and special hospitals, by the State Department of Public Health. Existing law requires the department to adopt regulations that establish minimum, specific, and numerical licensed nurse-to-patient ratios by licensed nurse classification and by hospital unit for all general acute care hospitals, acute psychiatric hospitals, and special hospitals. Existing law requires the regulations adopted by the department for acute psychiatric hospitals that are not operated by the State Department of State Hospitals to take into account the special needs of the patients served in the psychiatric units. Existing law generally makes a willful violation of those licensing provisions a crime.

Under existing law, on and after July 1, 2015, any acute psychiatric hospital that submits a completed application and is operated by the State Department of State Hospitals may be approved by the State Department of Public Health to offer, as a supplemental service, an Enhanced Treatment Program (ETP) that meets certain conditions, including sufficient and documented evaluation of violence risk of the patient. Existing law requires an ETP to meet certain requirements relating to staffing and patient room features and to implement certain policies and procedures on patient care.

Under existing law, those ETP provisions remain in effect for each pilot ETP until January 1 of the 5th calendar year after each pilot ETP site has admitted its first patient, and the provisions are repealed as of January 1 of the 5th calendar year after each pilot ETP site has admitted its first patient. Existing law requires the State Department of State Hospitals to post a declaration on its internet website regarding the timing of that repeal condition.

This bill would delete the above-described provisions regarding ETP repeal. The bill would instead repeal those provisions on January 1, 2030, as specified. To the extent that the bill would extend the operation of certain ETP sites, and by extending ETP requirements, the violation of which would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

This bill would specify regulations for acute psychiatric hospitals not operated by the State Department of State Hospitals are deemed to be an emergency and necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, and general welfare, and would require the department to adopt emergency regulations for these facilities no later than January 31, 2026, and permanent regulations thereafter, as specified. The bill would authorize the department to readopt the emergency regulations, as specified. The bill would authorize the emergency regulations to include, among other things, staffing standards specific to acute psychiatric hospitals.

(2)Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to use the direct care staffing level data it collects to determine whether a skilled nursing facility has met its nursing hours or direct care service hours per patient per day requirements, as specified. Existing law requires the department to assess specified administrative penalties on skilled nursing facilities that fail to meet these requirements and establishes an administrative process that skilled nursing facilities may use to appeal determinations or assessments made by the department. Existing law continues in the Special Deposit Fund the Skilled Nursing Facility Minimum Staffing Penalty Account and requires the administrative penalties described above to be deposited into that account. Under existing law, the account is continuously appropriated to the department to support the implementation of these provisions.

Sponsors

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. June 24, 2025From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on BUDGET.
2. March 24, 2025Referred to Com. on BUDGET.
3. March 20, 2025In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
4. March 20, 2025Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 28. Noes 10. Page 435.) Ordered to the Assembly.
5. March 18, 2025Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
6. March 17, 2025Withdrawn from committee. (Ayes 27. Noes 10. Page 384.)
7. March 17, 2025Ordered to second reading.
8. February 5, 2025Referred to Com. on B. & F. R.
9. January 24, 2025From printer. May be acted upon on or after February 23.
10. January 23, 2025Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.