BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 294 Page 1 Date of Hearing: April 22, 2015 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Jimmy Gomez, Chair AB 294 (Lackey) - As Amended April 9, 2015 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Health |Vote:|18 - 0 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No SUMMARY: This bill requires any department within the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHSA) to post on the homepage of its website information about any federally approved state plan or waiver of federal laws or regulations. AB 294 Page 2 FISCAL EFFECT: Negligible state fiscal effect. This bill will apply to ten departments under CHHSA, some of which are already likely compliant. COMMENTS: Purpose. According to the author, this bill will increase transparency for programs administered within CHHSA, which include many programs partially or fully funded with federal funds and operating under federal requirements. These programs include Medi-Cal, CalFresh, CalWORKs, Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and others. According to the author, frequently the federal government will require the designated state agency to submit a state plan for the operation of the program. In addition, states often obtain federal waivers as they test more innovative approaches to implementing federal law. It is sometimes difficult to ascertain what is included in state plans, or what waivers of federal law or regulation are operative, if the plans and waivers are not publicly accessible. Analysis Prepared by:Lisa Murawski / APPR. / (916) 319-2081 AB 294 Page 3