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SB-1014 Hospital facilities: seismic safety requirements.(2003-2004)

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CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2003–2004 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill
No. 1014

Introduced  by  Senator Aanestad, Ackerman, Battin, Denham, Hollingsworth, Knight, Margett, McClintock, McPherson, Morrow, Oller, Poochigian

February 21, 2003

An act to add Sections 130026 and 130071 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to health facilities.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 1014, as introduced, Aanestad. Hospital facilities: seismic safety requirements.
Existing law, the Alfred E. Alquist Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act of 1983, imposes certain requirements with regard to design and construction standards for hospital buildings that house patients who have less than the capacity of normally healthy persons to protect themselves and that must be reasonably capable of providing services to the public after a disaster. Under existing law, the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development has specified responsibilities in this regard, including the establishment of standards and earthquake performance categories, as well as the examination and evaluation of hospital compliance with these requirements.
This bill would make provisions of the act relating to seismic retrofitting and hospital facility upgrade requirements inoperative as of January 1, 2004. The bill would state legislative intent that legislation be enacted to make these requirements operative again when the fiscal condition of the state’s health care safety net is able to sufficiently cover the cost of meeting these requirements without affecting health care delivery and access.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 (a) California has established structural seismic requirements for newly constructed hospitals and for hospital buildings currently in use to protect patients, personnel, and visitors from loss of life following an earthquake and to ensure that California hospitals could continue to provide medical aid to victims after an earthquake.
(b) Preliminary analysis has determined that approximately 85 percent of California hospital’s beds are in noncompliant facilities.
(c) It has been estimated that California hospitals will spend $24 billion statewide to bring all hospital buildings up to the appropriate standards, with $10 billion spent on the 2008 requirements.
(d) Financial problems were the single most common reason cited for the closure of 23 California general acute care hospitals between 1995 and 2000, according to a report by the Nicholas C. Petris Center on Health Care Markets and Consumer Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley.
(e) The threat of more hospitals closing or eliminating services increases with this unfunded mandate. Funds spent on fiscal plant changes are not available for the most needy and vulnerable Californians in need of health care.

SEC. 2.

 Section 130026 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:

130026.
 (a) This article shall become inoperative on January 1, 2004.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that legislation be enacted to make this article operative again when the fiscal condition of the state’s health care safety net is able to sufficiently cover the cost of meeting its seismic retrofitting and hospital facility upgrade requirements without affecting health care delivery and access.

SEC. 3.

 Section 130071 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:

130071.
 (a) This article shall become inoperative on January 1, 2004.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that legislation be enacted to make this article operative again when the fiscal condition of the state’s health care safety net is able to sufficiently cover the cost of meeting its seismic retrofitting and hospital facility upgrade requirements without affecting health care delivery and access.