Women and Girls

This page tracks California legislation impacting Urban Indian women and girls. This tracker is updated regularly and provides links to the California Legislative Information website for additional resources.

Click here to view an recently chaptered bills.

SB 960: Senator Hernandez (District 22)

Telehealth: reproductive health care

Summary:  The Medi-Cal program for “teleophthalmology, teledermatology and teledentistry by store and forward,” is defined to mean the asynchronous transmission of medical information to be reviewed at a later time by a licensed physician or optometrist, as specified, at a distant site.The bill would define that term to mean an asynchronous transmission of medical information to be reviewed at a later time by a physician, nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, licensed midwife, physician assistant, or registered nurse at a distant site, where the provider at the distant site reviews the dental information without the patient being present in real time, as defined and as specified.

Last Action: 05/27/2016 May 27 hearing: Held in committee and under submission

For more information on this bill please check the Official California Legislative Information site here

AB 1954: Assemblymember Burke (District 62)

Health care coverage: reproductive health care services

Summary: This bill would require every health care service plan contract or health insurance policy issued, amended, renewed, or delivered on or after January 1, 2017, to provide coverage for reproductive and sexual health care services, as defined, through out-of-network providers under specified circumstances. The bill would prohibit those plan contracts or insurance policies from requiring an enrollee or insured to receive a referral in order to receive reproductive or sexual health care services. Because a willful violation of these provisions by a health care service plan would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

Last Action:08/29/2016 Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling.

For more information on this bill please check the Official California Legislative Information site here

AB 1795: Assemblymember Atkins 

Health care programs: cancer

Summary:Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to perform various health functions, including providing breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment for low-income individuals. Existing law defines “period of coverage” as beginning when an individual is made eligible for a covered condition and not to exceed 18 or 24 months, respectively, for a diagnosis of breast cancer or a diagnosis of cervical cancer. This bill would delete that definition and, instead, provide that the treatment services be for the duration of the period of treatment for an individual made eligible for treatment due to a diagnosis of breast cancer or cervical cancer, or who is diagnosed with a reoccurrence of breast cancer or cervical cancer, as long as the individual continues to meet all other eligibility requirements. The bill would require the department to provide breast cancer screening and diagnostic services to individuals of any age who are symptomatic, as defined, and to individuals who are 40 years of age or older, who meet the other eligibility requirements.

Last Action: 06/15/2016 Do pass and re-referred to Committee on Appropriations

For more information on this bill please check the Official California Legislative Information site here

AB 1561: Assemblymember Garcia (District 58)

Sales and use taxes: exemption: sanitary napkins:tampons: menstrual sponges and menstrual cups

Summary: Existing sales and use tax laws impose a tax on retailers measured by the gross receipts from the sale of tangible personal property sold at retail in this state, or on the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of tangible personal property purchased from a retailer for storage, use, or other consumption in this state. That law provides various exemptions from those taxes. This bill would exempt from those taxes the gross receipts from the sale in this state of, and the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of tampons, sanitary napkins, menstrual sponges and menstrual cups.

Last Action: 08/11/2016 From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended.

For more information on this bill please check the Official California Legislative Information site here

AB 2589: Assemblymember Gomez (District 51)

Lactation Support for California Moms

Summary: This bill will empower working moms to breastfeed their babies by ensuring that Medi-Cal provides access to modern day breast pumps. In addition, the bill will improve duel enrollment systems for WIC and Medi-Cal, and create standards and quality metrics for lactation support. CPCA is co-sponsoring this legislation with the California Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Association. Status: Introduced in the Assembly.

Last Action: 06/27/2016 Re-referred to Committee on Appropriations

For more information on this bill please check the Official California Legislative Information site here

SB 118: Senator Liu (District 25) 

School-Based Health and Education Partnership Program

Summary: This bill would provide funding for the expansion and renovation of existing school health centers. The bill would change the amount of the sustainability grants that are available pursuant to the program to between $50,000 and $100,000, but would make those grants available on a one-time basis and would revise the purposes for which they may be used. The bill would also authorize population health grants in amounts between $50,000 and $125,000 for a funding period of up to 3 years, as specified.

According to the author, there are currently 231 SBHCs in California that serve over 242,000 students with a range of services that meet specific needs of the local student population. These centers have proven to be an effective anchor for a broader community school strategy. A community school is both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources that integrates services and supports into the educational strategy of the school. This approach improves student academic achievement, increases attendance, reduces dropout rates, improves behavior, and promotes parent engagement. These outcomes benefit families and communities by generating increased stability and public safety. SBHCs typically piece together funding through a variety of sources including: third-party billing reimbursement, such as Medi-Cal, in kinddonations from schools and community agencies, grants, and local revenues. The PSHCSP has existed in statute for eight years yet has never been funded. It is time for this program to be updated and funded, as it will expand the availability and scope of medical and mental health services available to students. This perfectly complements the LCFF emphasis on addressing the needs of at-risk students and building community resiliency.

Last Action: 8/27/15 August 27 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.

For more information on this bill please check the Official California Legislative Information site here

SB 464:  Senator Hernandez

Healing Arts: Self Reported Tools

Summary: This bill would authorize a physician, surgeon, registered nurse, certified nurse-midwife, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or a pharmacist, all acting within the scope of existing law relating to their profession, to utilize a self screening tool to better identify risk factors that might result from the use of self-administered hormonal contraceptives. Additionally, all such professions mentioned above will be authorized to after an appropriate prior examination, prescribe, furnish, or dispense self-administered hormonal contraceptives. The bill would authorize blood pressure, weight, height, and patient health history to be self-reported through use of the self-screening tool.

Last Action Date:  9/30/2015 Approved by the Governor and chaptered by the Secretary of State – Chapter 387, Statutes of 2015

For more information on this bill please check the Official California Legislative Information site here