BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                            Senator Kevin de Le�n, Chair


          AB 1667 (Williams) - Tuberculosis testing in schools.
          
          Amended: June 23, 2014          Policy Vote: Health 8-0
          Urgency: No                     Mandate: Yes
          Hearing Date: August 4, 2014                            
          Consultant: Brendan McCarthy    
          
          This bill does not meet the criteria for referral to the  
          Suspense File.
          
          
          Bill Summary: AB 1667 would replace the currently required  
          mandatory testing of school employees for tuberculosis with a  
          risk assessment administered by a health care provider.

          Fiscal Impact (as proposed to be amended): 
              Likely reduction in costs for school districts, by  
              switching from mandatory testing to a risk assessment. Under  
              current law, school districts are authorized to reimburse  
              applicants for employment and are required to reimburse  
              current employees for the cost of being tested for  
              tuberculosis. A risk assessment by a health care provider is  
              likely to be less costly than a test. Therefore, to the  
              extent that school districts are currently reimbursing  
              applicants and employees for those costs, the costs to  
              school districts are likely to be lower under the bill.

          Background: Under current law, a person who is employed or under  
          contract with a school district must have had a tuberculosis  
          test within 60 days to determine whether the individual has  
          active tuberculosis. Employees who have tested negative for  
          tuberculosis are required to be retested every four years.  
          Employees who test positive must be referred to the local public  
          health officer for follow-up care. Current law authorizes, but  
          does not require, school districts to reimburse applicants for  
          employment for the cost of the required test. School districts  
          are required to reimburse employees for the cost of the required  
          test.

          Proposed Law: AB 1667 would replace the mandatory testing of  
          school employees for tuberculosis with a risk assessment  
          administered by a health care provider.








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          If no risk factors are identified by the risk assessment, no  
          further testing is required. If risk factors are identified, the  
          applicant or employee must be examined by a physician.

          The bill requires the Department of Public Health, in  
          coordination with the California Tuberculosis Controllers  
          Association, to develop the risk assessment.

          Staff comments: According to the Department, the California  
          Tuberculosis Controllers Association has already developed a  
          risk assessment questionnaire.
           
          Proposed authors amendments: Would exempt the adoption of the  
          risk assessment questionnaire from the requirement to adopt it  
          as a regulation under the Administrative Procedure Act.