CHAPTER _______

An act to amend Section 1043 to the Government Code, relating to health care coverage, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1428, Conway. California Health Benefit Exchange: employees and contractors.

Under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), each state is required, by January 1, 2014, to establish an American Health Benefit Exchange that makes available qualified health plans to qualified individuals and small employers. Existing state law establishes the California Health Benefit Exchange (Exchange) within state government, specifies the powers and duties of the board governing the Exchange, and requires the board to facilitate the purchase of qualified health plans through the Exchange by qualified individuals and small employers by January 1, 2014. Existing law requires the board to employ necessary staff and authorizes the board to enter into contracts.

Existing law requires the board, consistent with federal guidance applicable to state-based exchanges, to submit to the Department of Justice fingerprint images and related information of specified individuals whose duties include or would include access to confidential information, personal identifying information, personal health information, federal tax information, financial information, or any other information as required by federal law or guidance applicable to state-based exchanges for the purposes of obtaining information as to the existence and content of a record of state or federal convictions and information as to the existence and content of a record of state or federal arrests for which the Department of Justice establishes that the person is free on bail or on his or her recognizance pending trial or appeal.

This bill would revise these provisions to require that the fingerprint images and related information be submitted to the Department of Justice consistent with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Catalog of Minimum Acceptable Risk Standards for Exchanges (MARS-E), Exchange Reference Architecture Supplement version 1.0, issued on August 12, 2012, or further updates, guidance, or regulations, for those individuals whose duties include or would include access to the specified information contained in the information systems and devices of the Exchange.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

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

SECTION 1.  

Section 1043 of the Government Code is amended to read:

1043.  

(a) (1) The executive board of the California Health Benefit Exchange, as established by Section 100500, shall, consistent with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Catalog of Minimum Acceptable Risk Standards for Exchanges (MARS-E), Exchange Reference Architecture Supplement version 1.0, issued on August 12, 2012, or further updates, guidance, or regulations, submit to the Department of Justice fingerprint images and related information required by the Department of Justice of all employees, prospective employees, contractors, subcontractors, volunteers, or vendors, whose duties include or would include access to confidential information, personal identifying information, personal health information, federal tax information, or financial information contained in the information systems and devices of the Exchange, or any other information as required by federal law or guidance applicable to state-based exchanges for the purposes of obtaining information as to the existence and content of a record of state or federal convictions and also information as to the existence and content of a record of state or federal arrests for which the Department of Justice establishes that the person is free on bail or on his or her recognizance pending trial or appeal.

(2) The board shall require any services contract, interagency agreement, or public entity agreement that includes or would include access to information described in paragraph (1), and entered into, renewed, or amended on or after the effective date of this section, to include a provision requiring the contractor to agree to criminal background checks on its employees, contractors, agents, or subcontractors who will have access to information described in paragraph (1) as part of their services contract, interagency agreement, or public entity agreement with the board.

(b) The Department of Justice shall forward to the Federal Bureau of Investigation requests for federal summary criminal history information received pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a). The Department of Justice shall review the information returned from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and compile and disseminate a response to the board.

(c) The Department of Justice shall provide a state or federal level response to the board pursuant to subdivision (p) of Section 11105 of the Penal Code.

(d) The board shall request from the Department of Justice subsequent notification service, as provided pursuant to Section 11105.2 of the Penal Code, for persons listed in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a).

(e) The Department of Justice shall charge a fee sufficient to cover the cost of processing requests pursuant to this section.

SEC. 2.  

This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:

In order to protect and safeguard customers from the unauthorized and illegal access to, or disclosure of, their personal identifying information, personal health information, or federal tax information when the California Health Benefit Exchange begins enrolling customers into health care plans for coverage beginning as early as January 1, 2014, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.

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