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Legislative Advocacy
UAPD Thanks Lieutenant Governor For Speaking Up for Public Hospitals
The Mercury News
By John Garamendi
05/30/2008
In the early morning hours of Jan. 7, I received a call from the Aptos fire captain: "Lieutenant Governor Garamendi, does your family live in Aptos?"
Those words marked the beginning of many agonizing days, as my wife, Patti, and I learned that her sister had perished in a fast-moving house fire, her niece had sustained burns, and her mother was in critical condition after having been airlifted to the burn center at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center...
Read More from Lt. Gov. Garamendi
UAPD Letter to Garamendi
California Bills Sponsored by UAPD
AB 1944 Rural Health Care Districts: UAPD and AFSCME are sponsoring legislation, introduced by Sandre Swanson (D-Oakland) , that will allow rural hosptials to directly employ physicians, giving those physicians collective bargaining rights. The law that had allowed some rural hospitals to hire physicians expired in 2007. AB 1944 was passed in the Assembly, and passed the Senate Business, Professions, and Economic Development Committee. The bill now faces consideration by the Senate Health Committee, but has been pulled by the author. It may be reintroduced at a later date.
AB 1917 Safety Retirement: Assemblymember Mervyn Dymally (D-Los Angeles) introduced legislation, sponsored by UAPD, that would reclassify physicians working in a Los Angeles County Jail or Los Angeles County Mental Health Facility, after a Board of Supervisors resolution, as "safety members," who earn higher retirement contributions. These LA County physicians would be the first group of county physicians to be classified as safety members, as some state physicians already are. The bill passed the full Assembly and the Senate, and went to the Governor for a signature. On September 28th, Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill.
AB 1817 Bargaining Unit 16 Memorandum Of Understanding: Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) has introduced a bill that will submit for legislative approval the MOU that will be negotiated later this year between UAPD and the State of California.
AB 2969 Workers' Compensation Medical Treatment Utilization Reviews: The bill introduced by Sally Lieber (D-Mountain View) would require all physicians conducting utilization review on state workers be licensed in the State of California. AB 2969 was passed in the Assembly and the Senate, and after a concurrence step, will reach the Governor's desk. The insurance industry and Chamber of Commerce are urged the Governor to veto this bill, which he did on September 30, 2008.
Read Full Text of Dr. Weinmann's Op-Ed
Other Important California Legislation
AB 515 Occupational Safety and Health, Permissible Exposure Limits: UAPD supports this bill, also introduced by Sally Lieber (D-Mountain View) which will protect Californians, including physicians and dentists, from exposure to a wider range of cancer-causing toxins in the workplace.
SB 809 Primary Care Clinics: UAPD opposes this bill introducted by Roy Ashburn (R - District 18), which would allow Nurse Practioners (NPs) to prescribe without physician supervision. It would also remove the limit on the number of NPs that can be assigned to a single physician, which now stands at four.
AB 3043 Salary Increase bill was signed by the governor on June 30, 2008. Two salary increases negotiated between UAPD and the Department of Personnel Services in 2007 received legislative approval in this bill. One was the second of two Plata Equity Increases (effective January 1, 2008) for DMH, DVA, and DDS Physicians and Surgeons and Podiatrists. The other increase finalized by this bill is the second of two Perez Equity Increases (effective January 1, 2008) for DMH, DVA, and DDS Dentists.
UAPD Opposes Schwarzenegger's Proposed "Doctor Tax"
Resources
California Legislative Update -- September 2008
California Legislative Update -- June 2008
California Legislative Update - March 2008