CAMLT POLITICAL UPDATE
By Public Policy Advocates, LLC
GOVERNOR/LEGISLATURE
The Legislature has returned from spring recess and has begun what will be a very heavy committee hearing calendar for the month of April. April 26th is the last day for policy committees to hear and report to fiscal committees, fiscal bills introduced in their house.
California is facing a massive budget deficit. The Legislative Analyst’s office (LAO) initially estimated a $58 billion deficit at the time of the Governor’s budget proposed in January 2024. A number of factors are expected to drive that figure up by the time the Governor delivers his May Budget Revise. The LAO estimates that the deficit could grow to $73 billion.
LEGISLATION
We are currently in the second year of the 2-year legislative session. Public Policy Advocates in conjunction with CAMLT continues to confront legislation to expand scope of practice and efforts to dilute standards. At the direction of CAMLT, PPA secured an Author and had legislation introduced to secure grants for training programs. Please check the website for ongoing updates on bill status.
Click on each bill number for access to full text of each measure:
CAMLT SPONSOR BILL
AB 2702 (Chen) Training programs for clinical laboratory scientists and medical laboratory technicians: grants. As introduced 2/14/24 and amended 3/14/24 – SPONSOR/SUPPORT
This measure would authorize the State Department of Public Health within the California Health and Human Services Agency, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to establish a grant program to provide funding to training programs that both offer training programs for clinical laboratory scientists or medical laboratory technicians and are approved by the department or accredited by a recognized accrediting program approved by the department. AB 2702 would also authorize the department to award grants to those training programs in the amount of no more than $600,000, to be used within 3 years of receiving a grant.
Passage of this bill may finally provide funding to Clinical Laboratory Science educational programs to expand the number of students these programs accept. This funding must be flexible enough to be used to fund laboratory preceptorships as that is a clear chokepoint for the laboratory workforce pipeline.
Location: AB 2702 passed out of the Assembly Business and Professions Committee on April 2nd. The measure has been referred to the Assembly Higher Education Committee. Passed through Assembly Higher Education Committee on April 16, 2024 (11 Ayes, 0 Noes) and re-referred to Assembly Committee on Appropriations. 5/16/2024-Joint Rule 62(a), file notice suspended. In committee: Held under submission. This bill is considered dead.
AB 2107 (Chen) Summary: Current law requires the State Department of Public Health to license, inspect, and
regulate clinical laboratories and specified clinical laboratory personnel. Current law requires a
clinical laboratory, as defined, performing clinical laboratory tests or examinations classified as of
moderate or of high complexity under the federal Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments
(CLIA) to obtain a clinical laboratory license, as specified. Current law requires a separate license or
registration to be obtained for each laboratory location, except for, among other things, laboratories
that are not at a fixed location, as specified. This bill would authorize, upon determination by the
department that the authorization conforms to federal law, practice by a pathologist who is
performing pathology services at a primary laboratory site licensed by the state to review digital
materials, as defined, at a remote location under a primary site’s CLIA certificate. The bill would
require the department, on or before June 30, 2025, to consult with the federal Centers for Medicare
and Medicaid Services and would require the department to make a determination on or before
January 1, 2026, for those purposes. This bill would require the department, if it determines that the
authorization conforms to federal law, to communicate its determination to the Legislature and the
Legislative Counsel Bureau.
CAMLT Position: NEUTRAL
Status: 9/27/2024-Approved by the Governor. Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 699,
Statutes of 2024.
Location: 9/27/2024-A. CHAPTERED
AB 3009 (Ward) Healing arts: clinical laboratories. As introduced 2/16/24 – WATCH FOR AMENDS
AB 3009 is currently a spot bill. Its true intent will not be known until it is substantially amended, if at all. Current bill verbiage is as follows “This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation relating to clinical laboratories.”
Location: 5/2/2024-Failed Deadline. This bill is considered dead.
REGULATIONS
CAMLT is currently reviewing regulatory packages that affect clinical laboratories.
Regulations update DPH-20-007 is now in the final stages of approval as the second 15-Day Notice for comments opened on May 28. Please see the attached and message below from LFS about this final comment period and how to obtain the 2nd draft copy of DPH-20-007.