From: Laurie McBride Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 16:04:04 Subject: CA's HIV & Health Care Legislation For immediate release: June 11, 1997 From: Laurie McBride, Ellen McCormick and Sam Catalano LIFE: CA's Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender & HIV/AIDS Lobby CA's HIV & HEALTHCARE LEGISLATION THAT PASSED CRUCIAL FLOOR VOTES Last Friday was the last day for legislation to pass their house of origin... that means these bills were debated on the Assembly (AB) or Senate (SB) floor. If they pass they move to the other house for assignment to a policy committee. If they fail, most likely we won't see them again this year... AB 1099 (Migden)... an important bill that will make it possible for Medi-Cal recipients go back to work if they are medically able... under current law their share of cost for medical care and any prescription drugs are extremely burdensome. This bill would scale that share of cost back to a manageable level. SB 495 (Rosenthal)... would raise the weekly benefit cap from $336 to $490 for disability periods beginning Jan 1, 1998. Two bills, AB 7 (Brown) and AB 12 (Figueroa), both improve the level of care provided for women undergoing mastectomies, providing for a minimum of 48 hours of hospitalization, and specifying doctor's follow-up care. SB 269 (Ortiz)... would prohibit discharging a patient without a doctor or other health professional has determined they can be safely cared for at home. This bill wouldn't allow a facility to detain a patient against their will. This bill is to make sure patients aren't released before adequate care has been arranged outside the health facility. AB 1100 (Thomson and Perata)... would require that health service plans and disability insurers provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness on the same terms and conditions as coverage for other medical conditions. AB 1208 (Migden)... An important study bill to look at pain management, patient care issues around death and dying, physician assisted suicide, abandonment of patients, and related insurance issues. AB 818 (Martinez)... would expand the requirement to offer HIV testing and counseling from pregnant women to ANY patient 15 to 54 years of age. SB 885 (Watson)... needle exchange, co-sponsored this year by Los Angeles, Long Beach, West Hollywood, San Francisco, and Santa Clara County. SB 535 (Vasconcellos)... would create a research center, with funding, to study effects of medicinal use of marijuana. This would promote exactly the type of research needed, but actively blocked at the federal level for the past 20 years. AB 29 (Villaraigosa)... compassionate release for terminally ill prison inmates. Two bills were dramatically amended to take out objectionable language and policy... SB 705 (Rainey)... criminalizes the intentional transmission of HIV. Bill is narrow in scope after many, many amendments; covers only unsafe sex with INTENT to infect; does not cover needle exchange; disclosure is defined simply as relating HIV status. AND... SB 1110 (Leslie) which originally would have required positive written parental consent before students could receive any sex education and/or safe sex prevention education. SB 1110 has also been greatly modified, and now calls for parents to be notified in writing of any guest speakers providing sex education materials. All "no promo-homo" references in the original bill have been removed. LIFE Lobby is your lobbying presence in California's legislature on HIV/AIDS, healthcare and civil rights issues of concern to our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and HIV/AIDS communities. Founded in 1986, LIFE is the oldest and largest advocacy institution representing these communities in California's state capitol. LIFE maintains a unqiue structure, drawing on the expertise of community activists to develop our civil rights and health care policy agendas. Check out LIFE's new web site at .