SB 98 — State government.

Summary

(1) The Public Employees' Medical and Hospital Care Act (PEMHCA) , which is administered by the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System, governs the funding and provision of postemployment health care benefits for eligible retired public employees and their families. PEMHCA defines "family member" for these purposes. PEMHCA authorizes the board to contract with carriers offering health benefit plans and prohibits employees, annuitants, and their family members who are eligible for Medicare, as specified, from enrolling in a basic health benefit plan. PEMHCA requires the board to make certain notifications and reports to the Legislature in connection with health benefit plans offered pursuant to its provisions. This bill would clarify the definition of family for the purposes of PEMHCA by specifically excluding former spouses and former domestic partners. The bill would require the employing office, as specified, of a state employee or state annuitant, pursuant to standards established by the Department of Human Resources, to possess documentation verifying eligibility of an employee's family member prior to the enrollment of a family member in a health benefit plan and to verify continued eligibility pursuant to a specified schedule. The bill would prohibit the board from granting further exceptions to the rule against enrolling employees, annuitants, and their family members who are eligible for Medicare, as specified, in a basic health benefit plan. The bill would revise the entities to which the board is required to provide notification of approval of proposed benefit and premium readjustments to exclude the Legislature as a whole and to instead require provision of an initial estimate of proposed changes in writing to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, the chairpersons of the committees and subcommittees in each house of the Legislature that consider the Public Employees' Retirement System's budget and activities, the Controller, the Director of Finance, and the Legislative Analyst. The bill would specify the latest date that this notification may take place. The bill would require the board to provide a specified, detailed report to the Legislature and the Director of Finance annually, on November 1, regarding the health benefit plans it provides. (2) PEMHCA establishes the Annuitants' Health Care Coverage Fund, which is continuously appropriated for the purpose of prefunding of health care coverage for annuitants, including administrative costs. PEMHCA defines "prefunding" for these purposes. This bill would prohibit the use of certain state funds in the Annuitants' Health Care Coverage Fund for the payment of benefits until the earlier of 2 specified dates. The bill would revise the definition of prefunding to include employee as well as employer payments and to provide that payments may fund the actuarially determined normal costs of postemployment health care benefits. By providing a new funding source for a continuously appropriated fund, this bill would make an appropriation. (3) Existing law prescribes the duties of the Controller, which generally regard supervision of the fiscal concerns of the state. Existing law requires the Controller to abolish a state position that is vacant for 6 consecutive monthly pay periods on the following July 1, and permits the Director of Finance to authorize reestablishment of a position abolished pursuant to this authority under certain conditions. Among other things, existing law requires the Controller to reestablish a position abolished pursuant to this authority if the director of the department in which that position existed prior to abolishment makes a certification by August 15, as specified. This bill would repeal the provisions pertaining to vacant positions described above. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.

Bill Text

• Chaptered 06/24/15 - Chaptered Current pdf June 24, 2015
• Enrolled 06/19/15 - Enrolled pdf June 19, 2015
• Amended 06/16/15 - Amended Assembly pdf June 16, 2015
• Introduced 01/09/15 - Introduced pdf January 09, 2015
• SB98 View text html

Action History

1. June 24, 2015

   Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 28, Statutes of 2015.

2. June 24, 2015

   Approved by the Governor.

3. June 23, 2015

   Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 9:30 a.m.

4. June 19, 2015

   Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 26. Noes 14. Page 1516.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

5. June 19, 2015

   Unanimous consent granted to take up without reference to file.

6. June 19, 2015

   In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.

7. June 19, 2015

   Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 72. Noes 3. Page 2064.) Ordered to the Senate.

8. June 19, 2015

   Assembly Rule 63 suspended.

9. June 19, 2015

   Ordered to third reading.

10. June 19, 2015

    Withdrawn from committee.

11. June 19, 2015

    Assembly Rule 96 suspended.

12. June 16, 2015

    From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on BUDGET.

13. March 23, 2015

    Referred to Com. on BUDGET.

14. March 23, 2015

    In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

15. March 23, 2015

    Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 23. Noes 13. Page 385.) Ordered to the Assembly.

16. March 19, 2015

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

17. March 18, 2015

    From committee: Ordered to second reading.

18. February 05, 2015

    Referred to Com. on RLS.

19. January 12, 2015

    Read first time.

20. January 12, 2015

    From printer. May be acted upon on or after February 11.

21. January 09, 2015

    Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Sponsors

• Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review · Primary

Votes

Subjects