Amended in Assembly April 20, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 990


Introduced by Assembly Member Bonilla

February 26, 2015


An act to amend Section 138.6 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to public health.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 990, as amended, Bonilla. Women’s health.

Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to develop a coordinated state strategy for addressing the health-related needs of women, including implementation of goals and objectives for women’s health. Existing law establishes the Office of Health Equity within the department to, among other things, communicate and disseminate information within the department and to other state departments to assist in developing strategies to improve the health and mental health status of specified persons, including women. Existing law requires the department to include prescribed information in any literature that it produces regarding breast cancer, including the factors that increase the risk that younger women will develop breast cancer. Existing law describes these risk factors as including, but not limited to, family history of the disease.

This bill would require any literaturebegin insert regarding breast cancer informationend insert producedbegin insert or updatedend insert by the departmentbegin insert on or after January 1, 2016,end insert to include the increased risk for breast cancer associated with obesity.begin insert The bill would provide that the department is not required to dispose of or refrain from disseminating existing published material solely for the purpose of complying with the requirement that the literature include that prescribed information.end insert

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

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

P2    1

SECTION 1.  

Section 138.6 of the Health and Safety Code is
2amended to read:

3

138.6.  

(a) begin deleteThe end deletebegin insertLiterature regarding breast cancer information
4produced or updated by the end insert
State Department of Public Healthbegin insert on
5or after January 1, 2016,end insert
shallbegin delete include in any literature that it
6produces regarding breast cancer information that shallend delete
include,
7but not be limited to, all of the following:

8(1) Summarized information on risk factors for breast cancer
9in younger women, including, but not limited to, information on
10the increased risk associated with a family history of the disease,
11and increased risk associated with obesity.

12(2) Summarized information regarding detection alternatives
13to mammography that may be available and more effective for
14at-risk women between the ages of 25 and 40 years.

15(3) Information on Internet Web sites of relevant organizations,
16government agencies, and research institutions where information
17on mammography alternatives may be obtained.

18(b) begin insert(1)end insertbegin insertend insert The information required by subdivision (a) shall be
19produced consistent with the department’s protocols and procedures
20regarding the production and dissemination of information on
21breast cancer, including, but not limited to, the following factors:

begin delete

20 22(1)

end delete

23begin insert(A)end insert Restrictions imposed by space limitation on materials
24currently produced and distributed by the department.

begin delete

22 25(2)

end delete

26begin insert(B)end insert Future regular production and replacement schedules.

begin delete

23 27(3)

end delete

28begin insert(C)end insert Translation standards governing the number of languages
29and literacy levels.

begin delete

25 30(4)

end delete

31begin insert(D)end insert The nature, content, and purpose of the material into which
32this new information will be incorporated.

begin insert

P3    1(2) This section does not require the department to dispose of
2or refrain from disseminating existing published literature solely
3for the purpose of complying with subdivision (a).

end insert

4(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that subdivisions (a) and
5(b) apply to information that is distributed by any branch of the
6department, including, but not limited to, the Cancer Detection
7Section and the Office of Health Equity.



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