Bill Text: CA AB1759 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Institutions of higher education: liability for COVID-19-related injuries.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2020-08-17 - From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on JUD. [AB1759 Detail]

Download: California-2019-AB1759-Amended.html

Amended  IN  Assembly  March 28, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill No. 1759


Introduced by Assembly Member Salas

February 22, 2019


An act to relating to healthcare. health care, and making an appropriation therefor.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 1759, as amended, Salas. Rural healthcare workers. Health care workers: rural and underserved areas.
Existing law requires the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development to act as the coordinating agency to develop a strategic plan that would assist rural California to prepare for health care reform.
Existing law, the Health Education and Academic Loan Act, also authorizes the California Healthcare Workforce Policy Commission to provide assistance for the repayment of a student loan for medical education received by a medical student in an institution of higher education in California and requires the director to make loan assumption payments in connection with this program. Existing law requires the commission to give priority for loan assumption assistance to applicants who agree to provide primary care medical services for a minimum of 3 years in a medically underserved designated shortage area.
This bill would appropriate the sum of $50,000,000 from the General Fund to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development for the purpose of increasing the health care workforce in rural and underserved areas. The bill would require the office to allocate those funds for the support of programs that effect that purpose, including programs to recruit and train students from areas with a large disparity in patient-to-doctor ratios to practice in community health centers in the area from which each student was recruited and to expand and strengthen programs to recruit and prepare students from underrepresented and low-income backgrounds for health careers. The bill would also include a statement of legislative findings and declarations.

Existing law, the Song-Brown Health Care Workforce Training Act, provides for specified training programs for certain healthcare workers, including family physicians, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.

This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to increase the number of healthcare professionals in rural areas of the state.

Vote: MAJORITY2/3   Appropriation: NOYES   Fiscal Committee: NOYES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 (a) The Legislature finds and declares as follows:
(1) The health and well-being of Californians is compromised by both a significant health care workforce shortage and a growing mismatch between population needs and available services.
(2) These shortages are most severe in some of California’s largest and fastest growing regions, particularly in underserved, rural, and ethnically and linguistically diverse communities.
(3) The state must make significant investments in our health care workforce to overcome the growing gap between its existing nning and Development shall allocate the funds appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) for the support of programs that effect the purpose described in that paragraph including, but not limited to, the following programs:
(A) A program to expand the number of primary care physician and psychiatry residency positions, including universities, hospitals, and clinics that have not previously operated residency programs, and to prioritize the allocation of funds to residency programs in HPSAs.
(B) A program to recruit and train students from areas with a large disparity in patient-to-doctor ratios to practice in community health centers in the area from which each student was recruited.
(C) A program to expand and strengthen loan repayment programs for primary care physicians and clinicians that agree to serve in HPSAs.
(D) A program to expand and strengthen programs to recruit and prepare students from underrepresented and low-income backgrounds for health careers.
SECTION 1.

It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to increase the number of healthcare professionals in rural areas of the state.

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