BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1644|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 1644
Author: Romero (D), et al
Amended: 5/24/04
Vote: 21
SENATE HEALTH & HUMAN SERV. COMMITTEE : 7-2, 3/24/04
AYES: Alarcon, Chesbro, Escutia, Florez, Kuehl, Romero,
Vasconcellos
NOES: Aanestad, Ashburn
NO VOTE RECORDED: Ortiz, Battin, Figueroa, Vincent
SENATE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE : 4-0, 4/20/04
AYES: McPherson, Vasconcellos, Romero, Sher
NO VOTE RECORDED: Burton, Margett
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 8-4, 5/20/04
AYES: Alpert, Bowen, Burton, Escutia, Karnette, Machado,
Murray, Speier
NOES: Battin, Aanestad, Ashburn, Poochigian
NO VOTE RECORDED: Johnson
SUBJECT : Long-term health care: deaths of residents:
reporting requirements
SOURCE : California Senior Legislature
California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform
DIGEST : This bill requires a local registrar of deaths
to assist with the transfer of information from the death
certificate to a county elder death review team, upon the
request of a member of the team.
CONTINUED
SB 1644
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2
ANALYSIS : Current law imposes specified requirements for
collecting information concerning death certificates, as
specified.
Current law requires that each death shall 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.
This bill:
1. Requires a local registrar of deaths to make available
and assist the electronic transfer of information from a
certificate of death to the county elder death review
team, in accordance with the Internet-based electronic
death registration system established by the State
Department of Health Services in any county that has
access to the statewide system.
2. Authorizes an organization represented on an elder death
review team to request and obtain copies of certificates
of death from the local registrar of deaths.
3. Authorizes each organization represented on an elder
death review team to share with any other member of the
team any information obtained from a death certificate.
4. Provides that information received by a member of an
elder death review team pursuant to this bill shall be
subject to the confidentiality and disclosure
requirements.
Comments
According to the author's office, this bill accomplishes
the following: (1) authorizes members of an elder death
review team to electronically access death certificates
from vital statistics; and, (2) this electronic information
system is currently scheduled to come on line January 1,
2005. This bill allows access of death information for the
local elder death review team which is made up of
governmental and law enforcement officials.
SB 1644
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According to the author's office, local elder death review
teams, as currently defined in the state penal code, do not
have portal access to death certificates held in vital
statistics and this measure offers an essential tool to
effectively track the deaths of elders in their county.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, cost to
the General Fund is $75,000 in 2004-05 and $150,000 in
2005-06 and 2006-07.
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/21/04)
California Senior Legislature (co-source)
California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (co-source)
Consumer Attorneys of California
Older Women's League of California
Area Agency on Aging
Advisory Council for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara
Counties
AFSCME, AFL-CIO
Gray Panthers
CP:nl 5/24/04 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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