BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1982|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1982
Author: Coto (D), et al
Amended: 8/24/06 in Senate
Vote: 21
PRIOR VOTES NOT RELEVANT
SUBJECT : Public benefits
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill permits a city, county, city and
county, or hospital district to, at its discretion, provide
aid, including health care, to persons who, but for Section
411 of the federal Personal Responsibility and Work
Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.
Senate Floor Amendments of 8/24/06 delete the prior version
of the bill regarding Kin-Gap assistance for wards of the
juvenile court. This bill now permits a city, county, city
and county, or hospital district to provide specified aid
to those who meet certain eligibility requirements.
ANALYSIS : Federal law, Section 411 of the federal
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation
Act of 1996 (PRWORA), provides that certain persons are not
eligible for defined state and local public benefits unless
a state law is enacted subsequent to the effective date of
the act, August 22, 1996, that affirmatively provides for
that eligibility.
CONTINUED
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Existing law establishes programs to provide aid or health
care, or a combination thereof, to persons who meet
eligibility requirements.
Existing law requires each county or city and county to
provide aid to its indigent population not supported by
other means, and those county programs are commonly
referred to as general assistance programs.
This bill affirms the ability of counties, cities, and
hospital districts at their discretion to provide health
care and other services to all residents; and, to permit
cities, counties, and hospital districts at their
discretion to provide aid to a person who would meet
eligibility requirements for the program in question but
for being "an alien who is not lawfully present in the
United States." [Section 411 of the federal Personal
Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of
1996, P.L. 104-193; 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1621.]
This bill:
1.States Legislative intent to affirm the ability of
counties, cities, and hospital districts to provide
health care and other services to all residents, if any
of these entities has decided to do so at its own
discretion.
2.Permits a city, county, city and county, or hospital
district to, at its discretion, provide aid, including
health care, to persons who, but for Section 411 of the
PRWORA would meet eligibility requirements for any
program of the entity.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No
Local: No
Unknown.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office,
this bill protects counties and provides them with the
discretion to provide public health care services as they
choose. This bill allows the state to conform with federal
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law and expressly authorizes counties the discretion to
provide public benefits to any of its residents. The
author states that taking this action will secure local
jurisdiction in the provision of public health benefits to
individuals residing in their boundaries and that the
proposal does not seek to mandate services that currently
are not provided to any residents or to change eligibility
rules in any way. It merely allows counties to continue in
their normal course of providing public health services.
CTW:nl 8/26/06 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: NONE RECEIVED
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