BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 540
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 23, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HEALTH
Richard Pan, Chair
AB 540 (Pan) - As Amended: April 9, 2013
SUBJECT : Reporting and tracking of violent deaths.
SUMMARY : Establishes in state law the California Electronic
Violent Death Reporting System (CalEVDRS) within the Department
of Public Health (DPH) and requires DPH to collect data on
violent death, as specified. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires DPH to establish and maintain CalEVDRS.
2)Requires DPH to do all of the following:
a) Collect data on violent deaths as reported from data
sources, including, but not limited to, death certificates,
law enforcement reports, and coroner or medical examiner
reports;
b) Contract with county health departments to collect data
specified in a) above;
c) Apply for grants provided under the National Violent
Death Reporting System (NVDRS) of the federal Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for purposes of
implementing this bill.
3)States that nothing in this bill is to be construed to limit
data sources from which DPH can collect, including any public
agency document that contains data on violent deaths.
4)States legislative findings and declarations on violent
deaths.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires the registration of each live birth, fetal death,
death, and marriage that occurs in the state.
2)Requires that deaths be registered with the local registrar of
births and deaths in the district in which the death was
officially pronounced or the body was found, within eight
calendar days after death and prior to any disposition of the
human remains.
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3)Requires DPH, on or before January 1, 2005, to implement an
Internet-based electronic death registration system for the
creation, storage, and transfer of death registration
information.
4)Requires a physician and surgeon, physician assistant, funeral
director, or other person to immediately notify the coroner
when he or she has knowledge of a death that occurred or has
charge of a body in which death occurred under any of the
following circumstances: without medical assistance, during
the continued absence of the attending physician and surgeon,
where the attending physician and surgeon or the physician
assistant is unable to state the cause of death; where suicide
is suspected; following an injury or an accident; under
circumstances as to afford a reasonable ground to suspect that
the death was caused by the criminal act of another.
FISCAL EFFECT : This bill has not yet been analyzed by a fiscal
committee.
COMMENTS :
1)PURPOSE OF THIS BILL . According to the author, violence is a
significant public health problem in the US. According to the
CDC, each year more than 18,000 people are murdered and over
32,000 end their own lives. Hospital emergency departments
treat an average of 55 people for injuries every minute,
millions of dollars are spent on treatment, and millions more
are lost due to lost productivity. This bill codifies and
expands the current CalEVDRS and requires DPH to collect data
on violent deaths. Recently, President Obama's Fiscal Year
2014 budget included $20 million for the expansion of CDC's
NVDRS, and by requiring DPH to apply for grants awarded by the
NVDRS allows California to participate in this system and get
data on the magnitude, trends, and characteristics of violent
deaths. Data on violent deaths that would be collected by DPH
would assist policy makers and communities in determining
appropriate prevention and education efforts.
2)BACKGROUND .
a) Impact of Violence . According to the CDC, violence is
the threat or intentional use of physical force or power
against oneself, another person, or a group or community
that results in injury, death, psychological harm, or
deprivation. It is a significant public health problem in
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the US. More than 38,000 people died by suicide in the US
in 2010, and homicide claimed another 16,000 people. The
CDC further notes that the total costs associated with
nonfatal injuries and deaths due to violence in 2000 were
more than $70 billion. Most of this cost ($64.8 billion or
92%) was due to lost productivity. However, an estimated
$5.6 billion was spent on medical care for the more than
2.5 million injuries due to interpersonal and self-directed
violence.
b) NVDRS . In 2002, the NVDRS was established as a
surveillance system that pulls together data on violent
deaths. NVDRS collects information from death
certificates, coroner or medical examiner reports, police
reports, and crime laboratories. The ultimate goal of
NVDRS is to provide communities with a clearer
understanding of violent deaths so these deaths can be
prevented. NVDRS accomplishes this by: informing decision
makers and program planners about the magnitude, trends,
and characteristics of violent deaths so that appropriate
prevention efforts can be put into place; and facilitating
the evaluation of state-based prevention programs and
strategies. In 2008, Congress appropriated more than $3.2
million for CDC to continue funding the implementation of
NVDRS in 17 states. Currently, states participating in the
NVDRS include: Alaska, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky,
Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Oregon,
Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
c) Reporting and Tracking of Violent Deaths in California .
From 2005-2008, California was one of the 17 states
participating in the NVDRS. The California Violent Death
Reporting System (CalVDRS) was established to collect data
from the City of Oakland, City and County of Santa
Francisco, and Santa Clara County. CalVDRS eventually
expanded in 2006-2007 to include data collection from the
counties of Los Angeles, Riverside, Alameda, and Shasta.
During these years, DPH contracted with county health
departments to collect data on violent deaths from four
data sources - death certificates, coroner/medical examiner
records, police reports, and crime laboratory records.
During its four years of data collection, DPH compiled
detailed information on the circumstances of more than
10,000 violent deaths, including homicides and suicides.
Participation of Alameda, Los Angeles, Riverside, San
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Francisco, Santa Clara, and Shasta Counties in the system
meant that DPH had valuable information on approximately
half of the state's violent deaths during this time.
Unfortunately, due to its size, decentralized government,
privacy concerns, and lack of resources among law
enforcement agencies, California was unable to obtain law
enforcement records required by NVDRS and could not reapply
for funding. As a result, DPH developed CalEVDRS, and with
the creation of the Electronic Death Registration System in
2005 which allowed counties to file death certificates
online instead of mailing paper forms, DPH was able to
capture information from coroners on violent death. As of
2010, 14 counties are contributing data on the system. The
California Wellness Foundation currently funds the system
but according to DPH, this funding is about to expire.
d) President Obama's 2014 budget . In response to the Sandy
Hook Elementary School shootings in Newtown, Connecticut,
President Obama unveiled his plan called Now is the Time
which calls for public health research on gun violence.
Now is the Time states that the country needs better data
to help Americans better understand how and when firearms
are used in violent deaths and to inform future research
and prevention strategies. The President's 2014 budget
includes $30 million in new funding to track gun violence
and to research strategies that might prevent it.
Specifically, $20 million of these funds is appropriated
for the NVDRS to allow CDC to expand the system to all 50
states and the District of Columbia.
3)SUPPORT . According to the American Federation of State,
County and Municipal Employees and the Union of American
Physicians and Dentists, this bill will better help
policymakers understand the circumstances and risk factors
that lead to violent deaths in California through the use of
innovative, efficient data collection from the richest data on
violent deaths. The sponsors both state that it is important
to recognize that gun violence is a public health concern and
we should track information and data regarding violent death
in order to better prevent them.
4)AUTHOR'S AMENDMENTS . The author would like to amend this bill
to allow DPH to accept private or foundation moneys to
implement this bill.
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REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees,
AFL-CIO (cosponsor)
Union of American Physicians and Dentists (cosponsor)
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Child Abuse Prevention Center
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Rosielyn Pulmano / HEALTH / (916)
319-2097