California 2015-2016 Regular Session Status: Passed Assembly

AB 124 — State government.

Last action — Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Mitchell.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Assembly
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 2015-2016 Regular Session. It reached “Passed Assembly” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

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 in 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 State 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

Action History

  1. Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Mitchell.

  2. Ordered to third reading.

  3. Senate Rule 29 suspended. (Ayes 22. Noes 13. Page 1486.)

  4. From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 10. Noes 5.) (June 18).

  5. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on B. & F.R.

  6. Referred to Com. on B. & F.R.

  7. In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

  8. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 51. Noes 27. Page 646.)

  9. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  10. Ordered to second reading.

  11. Withdrawn from committee.

  12. Assembly Rule 63 suspended. (Ayes 51. Noes 25. Page 611.)

  13. Assembly Rule 96 suspended. (Ayes 51. Noes 25. Page 611.)

  14. Referred to Com. on BUDGET.

  15. From printer. May be heard in committee February 11.

  16. Read first time.

  17. Introduced. To print.

Sponsors

  • Committee on Budget · Primary

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on · 10 voted No

Sponsors (1)

  • Committee on Budget

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (121)

121 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 121 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Do pass

Passed 10 Yea · 5 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 10401
Democratic 0100
Total 10501
% of votes cast 63%31%0%6%
How each member voted (16)
Member Party Vote
Moorlach — Nay
Nielsen — Nay
Pan — Yea
Roth — Yea
Allen — Yea
Hancock — Yea
Mitchell — Not Voting
Leno — Yea
Anderson — Nay
Beall — Yea
Block — Yea
Monning — Yea
Pavley — Yea
Wolk — Yea
Mark Stone — Nay
Nguyen, Stephanie Democratic Nay

Official roll call →

AB 124 BUDGET Assembly Third Reading By WEBER

Passed 51 Yea · 27 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 472102
Democratic 4000
Republican 0600
Total 512702
% of votes cast 64%34%0%3%
How each member voted (80)
Member Party Vote
Achadjian — Nay
Alejo — Yea
Bigelow — Nay
Bloom — Yea
Brough — Not Voting
Brown — Yea
Jones-Sawyer — Yea
Levine — Yea
Low — Yea
Mathis — Nay
Mullin — Yea
Obernolte — Nay
Perea — Yea
Rodriguez — Yea
Thurmond — Yea
Waldron — Nay
Williams — Yea
Eggman — Yea
Cooper — Yea
Daly — Yea
Gatto — Yea
Bonilla — Yea
Frazier — Yea
Gomez — Yea
Gordon — Yea
Lopez — Yea
Harper — Nay
Holden — Yea
Kim — Nay
Atkins — Yea
Linder — Nay
Maienschein — Nay
Mayes — Nay
Burke — Yea
McCarty — Yea
Melendez — Nay
Campos — Yea
Nazarian — Yea
Gray — Not Voting
O'Donnell — Yea
Baker — Nay
Chang — Nay
Chau — Yea
Chiu — Yea
Chu — Yea
Chávez — Nay
Cooley — Yea
Dababneh — Yea
Dodd — Yea
Olsen — Nay
Quirk — Yea
Ridley-Thomas — Yea
Santiago — Yea
Steinorth — Nay
Ting — Yea
Wagner — Nay
Weber — Yea
Wilk — Nay
Wood — Yea
Salas — Yea
Medina — Yea
Rendon — Yea
Gonzalez — Yea
Hadley — Nay
Beth Gaines — Nay
Cristina Garcia — Yea
Eduardo Garcia — Yea
Mark Stone — Yea
Roger Hernández — Yea
Travis Allen — Nay
Bonta, Mia Democratic Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Gipson, Mike A. Democratic Yea
Irwin, Jacqui Democratic Yea
Dahle, Megan Republican Nay
Gallagher, James Republican Nay
Grove, Shannon Republican Nay
Jones, Brian W. Republican Nay
Lackey, Tom Republican Nay
Patterson, Joe Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Subjects

healthcare health-insurance
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Frequently asked questions

What does AB 124 do?
(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 in 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 State 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.
Who sponsors AB 124?
AB 124 is sponsored by Committee on Budget.
What is the current status of AB 124?
This bill died with 2015-2016 Regular Session. It reached “Passed Assembly” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track AB 124?
Track AB 124 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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