BILL NUMBER: SB 1240 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 20, 2010
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 9, 2010
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 28, 2010
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 13, 2010
INTRODUCED BY Senator Corbett
FEBRUARY 19, 2010
An act to amend Section 32126 of, and to add Section
32121.6 to , the Health and Safety Code, relating to local
health care districts.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1240, as amended, Corbett. Local health care districts:
operation of facility by another entity.
Existing law, the Local Health Care District Law, provides for the
formation of local health care districts and, until January 1, 2011,
authorizes each local district to transfer, at fair market value,
any part of its assets to one or more corporations to operate and
maintain the assets. After Commencing
January 1, 2011, existing law changes that provision to
restrict , instead, restricts these transfers
only to nonprofit corporations.
This bill would, notwithstanding any provision of law, require,
with certain exceptions, when a district is under contract with a
public or private entity to operate a district facility, the district
and the public or private entity that operates the district facility
to (1) preclude assets, including, but not limited to, all
revenue generated by the district facility, from being used for the
benefit of any person or entity other than a hospital within the
jurisdiction of require that assets of any facility
within the geographic boundaries of the district and owned by the
district be used exclusively for the benefit of a facility owned by
the district , except as specified , (2) require the
hospital and the operating entity to annually undergo an independent
financial audit and that the resulting report be made public, and
(3) preclude, in the case of a subsequent sale of the facility or any
assets of the district to the operating entity, any losses incurred
by the entity in the operation of the facility from being used as a
credit against the purchase price of the facility or other district
assets. By
Existing law permits a health care district board of directors to
provide for the operation and maintenance through tenants of the
whole or any part of a hospital acquired or constructed by it, and
for that purpose may enter into a lease agreement that it believes
will best serve the interest of the district.
This bill would, instead, permit those lease agreements only to
the extent that the agreement does not provide benefits to the
tenants beyond those reasonably necessary to ensure the operation of
the hospital for the benefit of the district and allow the tenant to
recoup its capital investments made during the lease agreement.
By requiring that districts comply with these
requirements, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local
agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this
act for a specified reason.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: yes.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 32121.6 is added to the Health and Safety Code,
to read:
32121.6. (a) Notwithstanding any provision of law, when a
district is under contract with another public or private entity to
operate one or more of its health facilities, the district and the
public or private entity that operates the district facility shall
comply with all of the following requirements:
(1) No assets of the district, including, but not limited to, all
revenue generated by the district facility or facilities being
operated by the other entity shall be used for the benefit of any
person or entity other than a hospital within the jurisdiction of the
district.
(1) Except as authorized by Section 32126, assets of any facility
owned by the district, including, but not limited to, all revenues
from the sale or investment of any asset of the facility and all net
operating income, shall be used exclusively for the benefit of a
facility within the geographic boundaries of the district and owned
by the district.
(2) The hospital and the operating entity shall annually undergo
an independent financial audit and the resulting report shall be made
public by the district.
(3) (A) In the case of a subsequent sale of the hospital facility
or any other assets of the district to the operating entity, any
losses incurred by the entity in the operation of the facility shall
not be used as a credit against the purchase price of the facility or
other district assets.
(B) This paragraph does not apply to a sale of a hospital facility
that is otherwise in compliance with paragraph (1) of subdivision
(p) of Section 32121.
(b) Subdivision (a) does not apply to a local health care
district and a nonprofit corporation that meet all of the following
criteria:
(1) The district has a contract with the tax-exempt nonprofit
corporation, qualified under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal
Revenue Code.
(2) The nonprofit corporation operates one or more general acute
care hospitals, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 1250, that
are the subject of the contract.
(3) The general acute care hospital or hospitals that are operated
by the nonprofit corporation are owned by the district.
(4) The district is the nonprofit corporation's sole corporate
member.
SEC. 2. Section 32126 of the Health and
Safety Code , as added by Section 5 of Chapter 194 of the
Statutes of 2005, is amended to read:
32126. (a) The board of directors may provide for the operation
and maintenance through tenants of the whole or any part of any
hospital acquired or constructed by it pursuant to this division, and
for that purpose may enter into any lease agreement that it believes
will best serve the interest of the district , only to the
extent that the agreement does not provide benefits to the tenants
beyond those reasonably necess ary to ensure the operation
of the hospital for the benefit of the district and allows the
tenant to recoup its capital investments made during the lease
agreement . A lease entered into with one or more nonprofit
corporations for the operation of 50 percent or more of the district'
s hospital, or that is part of, or contingent upon, a transfer of 50
percent or more of the district's assets, in sum or by increment, as
described in subdivision (p) of Section 32121, shall be subject to
the requirements of subdivision (p) of Section 32121. Any lease for
the operation of any hospital shall require the tenant or lessee to
conform to, and abide by, Section 32128. No lease for the operation
of an entire hospital shall run for a term in excess of 30 years. No
lease for the operation of less than an entire hospital shall run for
a term in excess of 10 years.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a sublease, an
assignment of an existing lease, or the release of a tenant or lessee
from obligations under an existing lease in connection with an
assignment of an existing lease shall not be subject to the
requirements of subdivision (p) of Section 32121 so long as all of
the following conditions are met:
(1) The sublease or assignment of the existing lease otherwise
remains in compliance with subdivision (a).
(2) The district board determines that the total consideration
that the district shall receive following the assignment or sublease,
or as a result thereof, taking into account all monetary and other
tangible and intangible consideration to be received by the district,
including, without limitation, all benefits to the communities
served by the district, is no less than the total consideration that
the district would have received under the existing lease.
(3) The existing lease was entered into on or before July 1, 1984,
upon approval of the board of directors following solicitation and
review of no less than five offers from prospective tenants.
(4) If substantial amendments are made to an existing lease in
connection with the sublease or assignment of that existing lease,
the amendments shall be fully discussed in advance of the district
board's decision to adopt the amendments in at least two properly
noticed open and public meetings in compliance with Section 32106 and
the Ralph M. Brown Act (Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 54950) of
Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code).
(c) A health care district shall report to the Attorney General
within 30 days of any lease of district assets to one or more
nonprofit corporations, the type of transaction and the entity to
whom the assets were leased.
(d) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2011.
SEC. 2. SEC. 3. No reimbursement is
required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the
California Constitution because a local agency or school district has
the authority to levy service charges, fees, or assessments
sufficient to pay for the program or level of service mandated by
this act, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code.