BILL ANALYSIS ------------------------------------------------------------ |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1982| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |1020 N Street, Suite 524 | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ------------------------------------------------------------ THIRD READING Bill No: AB 1982 Author: Coto (D), et al Amended: 8/24/06 in Senate Vote: 21 PRIOR VOTES NOT RELEVANT SUBJECT : Public benefits SOURCE : Author DIGEST : This bill permits a city, county, city and county, or hospital district to, at its discretion, provide aid, including health care, to persons who, but for Section 411 of the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. Senate Floor Amendments of 8/24/06 delete the prior version of the bill regarding Kin-Gap assistance for wards of the juvenile court. This bill now permits a city, county, city and county, or hospital district to provide specified aid to those who meet certain eligibility requirements. ANALYSIS : Federal law, Section 411 of the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), provides that certain persons are not eligible for defined state and local public benefits unless a state law is enacted subsequent to the effective date of the act, August 22, 1996, that affirmatively provides for that eligibility. CONTINUED AB 1982 Page 2 Existing law establishes programs to provide aid or health care, or a combination thereof, to persons who meet eligibility requirements. Existing law requires each county or city and county to provide aid to its indigent population not supported by other means, and those county programs are commonly referred to as general assistance programs. This bill affirms the ability of counties, cities, and hospital districts at their discretion to provide health care and other services to all residents; and, to permit cities, counties, and hospital districts at their discretion to provide aid to a person who would meet eligibility requirements for the program in question but for being "an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States." [Section 411 of the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, P.L. 104-193; 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1621.] This bill: 1.States Legislative intent to affirm the ability of counties, cities, and hospital districts to provide health care and other services to all residents, if any of these entities has decided to do so at its own discretion. 2.Permits a city, county, city and county, or hospital district to, at its discretion, provide aid, including health care, to persons who, but for Section 411 of the PRWORA would meet eligibility requirements for any program of the entity. FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No Local: No Unknown. ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office, this bill protects counties and provides them with the discretion to provide public health care services as they choose. This bill allows the state to conform with federal AB 1982 Page 3 law and expressly authorizes counties the discretion to provide public benefits to any of its residents. The author states that taking this action will secure local jurisdiction in the provision of public health benefits to individuals residing in their boundaries and that the proposal does not seek to mandate services that currently are not provided to any residents or to change eligibility rules in any way. It merely allows counties to continue in their normal course of providing public health services. CTW:nl 8/26/06 Senate Floor Analyses SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED **** END ****