The California Legislature is in session, and here are a few of the bills Techwire is following that were updated last week. Links are to the most recent text. For complete information search by number at the Bill Information Site.
AB-1771, Telephonic and electronic patient management services, introduced by Assembly Member V. Manuel Pérez, was read a second time and amended, and ordered to a second reading. AB-1771 requires health insurance companies licensed in the State of California to pay contracted physicians for telehealth services, including telephone or other electronic patient management. Currently, payors in the state vary in reimbursing for these services and often deny physician requests for coverage.
AB-1530: Model curricula: computer science, was read a second time and ordered to third reading. This bill would encourage the Superintendent of Public Instruction to identify, develop, or, as needed, revise new or existing model curricula on computer science, and to submit the model curricula to the State Board of Education for adoption by July 1, 2017. The bill would authorize the Superintendent to seek out alternative nonstate funding sources to defray the cost of identifying, developing, or revising the model curricula.
AB-2667: Rental-purchase agreements: electronic devices: monitoring technology, was read a third time, passed, and ordered to the Senate. Existing law requires rental-purchase agreements to contain specified notices and makes it a misdemeanor to willfully violate the provisions regulating rental-purchase agreements. AB-2667 would add to the provisions regulating rental-purchase agreements, prohibiting a lessor of an electronic device that has geophysical location tracking technology installed from using, selling, or sharing such data for any purpose other than to prevent fraud or loss unless the lessor obtains express consent from the consumer.
SB-1351: Payment cards, was re-referred to the committee on RLS pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10.
This bill would require retailers that accept a payment card to provide a means of processing card-present payment card transactions involving payment cards equipped with embedded microchips or any other technology that is more secure than static magnetic stripe technology starting April 1, 2016. The bill would also require specified contracts entered into between a financial institution and a payment card network to include a provision requiring that 75 percent of new or replacement payment cards issued to a cardholder with a California mailing address have an embedded microchip or other technology that is more secure than microchip technology for card-present fraud prevention.
SB-893: Automated license plate recognition systems: use of data, was passed as amended. This bill would impose specified requirements on an "automated license plate recognition operator," ensuring that the information or data the ALPR operator collects is protected with certain safeguards, and to implement and maintain specified security procedures and a usage and privacy policy with respect to that information or data. The bill would also prohibit an ALPR operator from engaging in certain acts, including, among others, retaining any information or data other than the license plate number, the date and time the information or data is collected, and the location coordinates where the information or data is collected. The bill would further prohibit a public agency from disclosing, distributing, making available, selling, accessing, or otherwise providing that information or data, to any private entity or individual unless authorized by a court order, or as part of civil or criminal discovery.
SB-974: California Health Benefit Exchange, was read a second time and ordered to third reading.
Existing law requires the board of the California Health Benefit Exchange to determine the criteria and process for eligibility, enrollment, and disenrollment of enrollees and potential enrollees in the Exchange and coordinate that process with state and local government entities administering other specified health care coverage programs, as specified. This bill would additionally require the board to allow an applicant to indicate in his or her application for a qualified health plan whether or not he or she would like assistance with completing the application from an Exchange certified insurance agent or certified enrollment counselor. The bill would also prohibit the Exchange from disclosing personal information, as defined, to a certified insurance agent or certified enrollment counselor if the applicant indicates that he or she does not want assistance from an Exchange certified insurance agent or certified enrollment counselor.
Photo of California State Senate Floor from Shutterstock
