BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                           Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair

                                           1858 (Blumenfield)
          
          Hearing Date:  8/12/2010        Amended: 7/15/2010
          Consultant: Katie Johnson       Policy Vote: Health 5-3
          _________________________________________________________________ 
          ____
          BILL SUMMARY:  AB 1858 would permit the California Department of  
          Public Health (CDPH) to authorize entities to provide hypodermic  
          needle and syringe exchange programs in any location the  
          department determines is necessary.
          _________________________________________________________________ 
          ____
                            Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
           Major Provisions         2010-11      2011-12       2012-13     Fund  
          CDPH regulations and     $45        $35      $35       Federal*
          ongoing administration
                                    2013-14               2014-15  

                                   $30 - $170 $30 - $170         Federal*
          *Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Cooperative  
          Agreement Funds
          _________________________________________________________________ 
          ____

          STAFF COMMENTS: SUSPENSE FILE. AS PROPOSED TO BE AMENDED.
          
          This bill would require CDPH and any city, county, or city and  
          county that would authorize a syringe exchange program, as  
          recommended by the United States Public Health Service, to  
          establish the program subject to available funding and as part  
          of a comprehensive network or services intended to combat the  
          spread of HIV and bloodborne Hepatitis infection among injection  
          drug users. An entity's application to CDPH would be required to  
          demonstrate its ability to provide certain syringe exchange  
          program services as well as specified education services  
          regarding the prevention of Hepatitis B, HIV, and sexually risky  
          behaviors.

          This bill would exempt staff and volunteers participating in the  
          authorized program from any law related to the possession,  
          furnishing, or transfer of hypodermic needles or syringes during  
          participation in the program. Additionally, program participants  
          would be immune from criminal prosecution for the possession of  










          needles or syringes acquired from an authorized program. This  
          bill would require CDPH to report biennially, instead of  
          annually, to a local health officer on programs it authorized. 

          Costs to CDPH to promulgate regulations over a period of two and  
          a half years to further define application requirements would be  
          approximately $45,000 in FY 2010-2011, $110,000 in FY 2011-2012  
          in FY 2012-2013. Ongoing costs to review and approve  
          applications and to post specified information on CDPH's website  
          would be minor and absorbable to up to $170,000 annually,  
          commencing in FY 2013 -2014. The actual costs would depend on  
          the number of applications received annually, which could range  
          from 5 - 50. If the number is more than 10, the workload would  
          no longer be absorbable.
          
          
          Page 2
          AB 1858 (Blumenfield)

          The proposed author's amendments would require CDPH to submit a  
          biennial report to the legislature on the CDPH authorized  
          programs, as specified.