Today's Law As Amended


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AB-1007 Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Compensation Program.(2021-2022)



As Amends the Law Today


SECTION 1.
 The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the following:
(a) In 1909, California passed the nation’s third eugenic sterilization law (Chapter 720 of the Statutes of 1909). Between 1909 and 1979, more than 20,000 Californians were sterilized, which made up more than one-third of the 60,000 persons sterilized nationwide in 32 states during that era and more than the amount of people sterilized in the next top four states combined.
(b) California’s eugenics laws, which were revised in 1913 (Chapter 363 of the Statutes of 1913) and 1917 (Chapters 489 and 776 of the Statutes of 1917), authorized medical superintendents in state homes and state hospitals to perform “asexualization” on patients (vasectomies for men and salpingectomies for women) identified as “afflicted with mental disease which may have been inherited and is likely to be transmitted to descendants, the various grades of feeblemindedness, those suffering from perversion or marked departures from normal mentality or from disease of a syphilitic nature.”
(c) California maintained 12 state homes and state hospitals that housed thousands of patients who were committed by the courts, family members, and medical authorities. Although many families, patients, and court officials signed consent forms for sterilization, that action would not meet today’s criteria for consent because in some institutions sterilization was a precondition for release, and true voluntariness and autonomy were not possible in the context in which the consent forms were signed.
(d) There was little to no oversight of California’s sterilization program, which was implemented during a time in United States history when many reformers believed that sterilization was an important instrument of public health protection that would reduce the number of “defectives” in society, result in cost savings for welfare programs, and only allow “fit” people to become parents. The authority granted to both state agencies and medical experts during this era meant that sterilization proceeded with little contestation or pushback from the health establishment or legal system.
(e) While the law did not target specific racial or ethnic groups, in practice, labels of “mental deficiency” and “feeblemindedness” were applied disproportionately to racial and ethnic minorities, people with actual or perceived disabilities, poor people, and women. During the height of the program, between 1919 and 1952, women and girls were 14 percent more likely to be sterilized than men and boys. Male Latino patients were 23 percent more likely to be sterilized than non-Latino male patients, and female Latina patients were 59 percent more likely to be sterilized than non-Latina female patients.
(f) Sterilizations pursuant to California’s eugenics laws persisted for 70 years. The laws were repealed in 1979.
(g) On March 11, 2003, Governor Gray Davis apologized for California’s eugenic sterilization program. Attorney General Bill Lockyer issued an apology on the same day.
(h) On June 30, 2003, the Senate of the State of California passed a resolution expressing “profound regret over the state’s past role in the eugenics movement and the injustice done to thousands of California men and women,” addressing “past bigotry and intolerance against the persons with disabilities and others who were viewed as ‘genetically unfit’ by the eugenics movement,” recognizing that “all individuals must honor human rights and treat others with respect regardless of race, ethnicity, religious belief, economic status, disability, or illness,” and urging “every citizen of the state to become familiar with the history of the eugenics movement, in the hope that a more educated and tolerant populace will reject any similar abhorrent pseudoscientific movement should it arise in the future.”
(i) The State of California recognizes that further involuntary and systematic sterilization abuse occurred during the following periods:
(1) Between 1965 and 1975, at least 240 women who delivered babies at the LA County University of Southern California Medical Center were subjected to nonconsensual postpartum tubal ligations. These procedures were carried out overwhelmingly on Mexican-origin mothers who were not informed that they were being sterilized, were coerced into signing sterilization forms, or were misled into giving their signatures.
(2) Between 2006 and 2010, at least 144 people imprisoned in California’s women’s prisons were sterilized without proper authorization while giving birth. A state audit explicitly to review cases of sterilization during labor and delivery of people in California’s women’s prisons during this period found that people had been sterilized without adherence to required protocol, including instances of “deficiencies in the informed consent process.” Significantly, the audit found that people sterilized included a disproportionate number of people of color and that there was an absence of use of interpreter assistance for imprisoned patients unable to speak or read in English. Additionally, the Senate Budget Committee heard testimony documenting further instances of coercive sterilization occurring in California’s women’s prisons outside the limited scope of the audit. As a response, Senate Bill 1135 (Chapter 558 of the Statutes of 2014) was signed into law in 2014 to shine light on, and reaffirm prohibition of, sterilization for the purpose of birth control in county jails and state prison facilities, and to offer additional protections to imprisoned people surrounding sterilization in medically essential circumstances outside the scope of birth control.
(j) The state has not issued an apology for the coerced sterilizations of people in women’s prisons occurring after 1979, the date marking the formal abandonment of state eugenic policy.
(k) It is unclear if many or all of the sterilized imprisoned people are aware that they were sterilized.
(l) The Legislature has expressed its profound regret over the state’s role in the eugenics movement as the most aggressive eugenics sterilizer in the country. The Legislature also hereby expresses its profound regret over the state’s past role in coercive sterilizations of people in women’s prisons and the injustice done to the people in those prisons and their families and communities.
(m) Eugenics and coercive sterilizations were based on contemporary bigotry and intolerance against persons and communities targeted for imprisonment whose fundamental human right to family was devalued and disregarded. All individuals must honor human rights and treat others with respect regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, marital status, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic status, or imprisonment.
(n) The Legislature urges every citizen of the state to become familiar with the history of eugenics, in the hope that a more educated and tolerant populace will reject any similar abhorrent pseudoscientific movement in the future. A failure to appreciate, remember, and recall the horrors of eugenics contributed to conditions under which coercive sterilizations could continue to occur in the context of California’s women’s prisons through 2010.

SEC. 2.

 Chapter 1.6 (commencing with Section 24210) is added to Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:

CHAPTER  1.6. Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Compensation Program
24210.
 (a) There is hereby established the Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Compensation Program, to be administered by the California Victim Compensation Board.
(b) The purpose of the program is to provide victim compensation to the following:
(1) Any survivor of state-sponsored sterilization conducted pursuant to eugenics laws that existed in the State of California between 1909 and 1979.
(2) Any survivor of coercive sterilization performed on an individual under the custody and control of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation after 1979.
(c) For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:
(1) “Board” means the California Victim Compensation Board.
(2) “Program” means the Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Compensation Program.
(3) “Start date of the program” means the date the program becomes operative pursuant to Section 24212.
(4) “Qualified recipient” means an individual who is eligible for victim compensation pursuant to this chapter by meeting the following requirements of eligibility either as a survivor of eugenics sterilization or as a survivor of coercive sterilization of imprisoned populations:
(A) Eligibility as a survivor of eugenics sterilization requires an individual to meet all of the following requirements:
(i) The individual was sterilized pursuant to eugenics laws that existed in the State of California between 1909 and 1979.
(ii) The individual was sterilized while the individual was at a facility under the control of the State Department of State Hospitals or the State Department of Developmental Services, including any of the following institutions:
(I) Agnews Developmental Center, formerly known as Agnews State Mental Hospital.
(II) Atascadero State Hospital.
(III) Camarillo State Hospital and Developmental Center.
(IV) DeWitt State Hospital.
(V) Fairview Developmental Center, formerly known as Fairview State Hospital.
(VI) Mendocino State Hospital.
(VII) Modesto State Hospital.
(VIII) Napa State Hospital, formerly known as Napa State Asylum for the Insane.
(IX) Metropolitan State Hospital, formerly known as Norwalk State Hospital.
(X) Frank D. Lanterman State Hospital and Developmental Center, formerly known as Pacific State Hospital or Pacific Colony.
(XI) Patton State Hospital, formerly known as Southern California State Asylum for the Insane and Inebriates.
(XII) Porterville Developmental Center, formerly known as Porterville State Hospital.
(XIII) Sonoma Developmental Center, formerly known as Sonoma State Hospital, Sonoma State Home, or California Home for the Care and Training of the Feeble Minded.
(XIV) Stockton Developmental Center, formerly known as Stockton State Hospital.
(iii) The individual is alive as of the start date of the program.
(B) Eligibility as a survivor of coercive sterilization of imprisoned populations requires an individual to meet all of the following requirements:
(i) The individual was sterilized while under the custody and control of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and imprisoned in a state prison or reentry facility, community correctional facility, county jail, or any other institution in which they were involuntarily confined or detained under a civil or criminal statute.
(ii) The sterilization was not required for the immediate preservation of the individual’s life in an emergency medical situation.
(iii) The sterilization was not the consequence of a chemical sterilization program administered to convicted sex offenders.
(iv) The individual’s sterilization meets any of the following requirements:
(I) The individual was sterilized for a purpose that was not medically necessary, as determined by contemporaneous standards of evidence-based medicine.
(II) The individual was sterilized for the purpose of birth control.
(III) The individual was sterilized without demonstrated informed consent, for which evidence of a lack of consent includes, but is not limited to, any of the following:
(ia) Procurement of a pregnant individual’s written consent within 30 days of anticipated or actual labor or delivery or less than 72 hours before emergency abdominal surgery and premature delivery.
(ib) Procurement of an individual’s written consent less than 30 days before sterilization.
(ic) Failure of the prison administration to document written informed consent signed by the imprisoned individual.
(id) Failure of the prison administration to document the use of interpreters for non-English speakers to ensure understanding by the imprisoned individual of the medical treatment being consented to.
(ie) Failure of the prison administration to document the counseling of the imprisoned individual on, and offering a consultation of, treatment options that would not result in loss of reproductive capacity.
(if) Failure of the prison administration to document written informed consent to sterilization signed by the imprisoned individual if sterilization is performed in conjunction with, or in addition to, other surgery.
(ig) Failure of prison staff, employees, or agents to comply with requirements of Section 3440 of the Penal Code after its enactment, designed to prohibit and deter coercive sterilization of people in prison.
(IV) The sterilization was performed by means that are otherwise prohibited by law or regulation.
24211.
 (a) The board shall do all of the following to implement the program:
(1) In consultation with community-based organizations, conduct outreach to locate qualified recipients and notify the qualified recipients of the process through which to apply for victim compensation. The board may use various methods to conduct outreach, including, but not limited to, modalities such as radio announcements, social media posts, and flyers to libraries, social service agencies, long-term care facilities, group homes, supported living organizations, regional centers, and reentry programs. Additionally, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall post notice of the program, qualifications, and claim process in all California parole and probation offices, as well as in all state prison yards in an area accessible to the prison population.
(2) Review and verify all applications for victim compensation.
(A) The board shall consult the HIPAA-compliant eugenic sterilization database developed by the Sterilization and Social Justice Lab at the University of Michigan and may consult records of the State Archives to verify the identity of an individual claiming the individual was sterilized pursuant to eugenics laws during the period of 1919 to 1952, inclusive.
(B) The board shall consult the records of the State Department of State Hospitals and the State Department of Developmental Services to verify the identity of an individual claiming to have been sterilized pursuant to eugenics laws during the period of 1953 to 1979, inclusive. The State Department of State Hospitals and the State Department of Developmental Services shall make every reasonable effort to locate and share with the board records that will help the board verify claims of individuals sterilized in state institutions from 1953 to 1979, inclusive. This information shall be provided to the board pursuant to the authorizations described in subdivision (aa) of Section 4514 of the Welfare and Institutions Code and paragraph (26) of subdivision (a) of Section 5328 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. The information may include, but is not limited to, documentation of the individual’s sterilization, sterilization recommendation, surgical consent forms, relevant court or institutional records, or a sworn statement by the survivor or another individual with personal knowledge of the sterilization. These data may be contained in documents such as institutional reports, annual reports, extant patient records, superintendents’ files, and administrative records. The board shall maintain the confidentiality of any information received from the State Department of State Hospitals and the State Department of Developmental Services in accordance with Part 160 (commencing with Section 160.101) and Part 164 (commencing with Section 164.102) of Subchapter C of Subtitle A of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations and Sections 4514 and 5328 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(C) The board shall consult the records obtained, collected, and considered within the state audit into coercive sterilizations in California women’s prisons to verify the identity of individuals under the custody and control of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation who were coercively sterilized during labor and delivery within the scope and timeframe considered by the audit.
(D) The board shall consult with the Federal Receiver for Inmate Medical Services and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to identify individuals who were coercively sterilized while under the custody and control of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
(E) The board shall consult the records of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and its contracting medical facilities or providers, as necessary, to verify the identity of an individual claiming to have been coercively sterilized while under the custody and control of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall make every reasonable effort to locate and share with the board records that will help the board verify claims of individuals sterilized while under state custody and control.
(F) The board shall allow a claimant to submit evidence that proves the claimant either was sterilized during the period of 1919 to 1979, inclusive, or was coercively sterilized while under the custody and control of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation after 1979. The board shall evaluate this evidence by a preponderance of the evidence standard to determine whether it is more likely than not that the claimant is a qualified recipient. The claimant’s submission of evidence does not relieve the board of its responsibility to verify an individual’s identity by consulting the resources described in subparagraphs (A) through (E), inclusive.
(G) The board does not have the discretion to deny compensation to any claimant who is a qualified recipient.
(3) Include an area on the application for a claimant to voluntarily report demographic information about gender, race, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
(4) Affirmatively identify and disclose coercive sterilizations that occurred in California prisons.
(A) The board shall affirmatively employ the measures outlined in subparagraphs (C) and (D) of paragraph (2) to identify qualified recipients who were sterilized while in the custody and control of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation after 1979 and who have not personally or through an agent filed a claim for compensation.
(B) Upon identifying a qualified recipient, the board shall consult with other state and federal agencies and departments to determine contact information for the individual for purposes of disclosing the sterilization. To the extent permitted by federal law governing confidentiality of the applicable information, the board shall consult with additional entities, including, but not limited to, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Employment Development Department, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the California Secretary of State, the United States Department of Homeland Security, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the United States Department of Justice, and the Social Security Administration.
(C) In consultation with community-based prisoner advocacy organizations and municipal health agencies responsible for communicating risk of exposure to communicable diseases, the board shall develop a culturally competent and technologically appropriate mechanism of disclosing the sterilization and available compensation to qualified recipients. The notification protocol and procedure shall require access to free counseling, culturally and linguistically appropriate notification, and a diversity of communications technologies to maximize the likelihood that disclosure is successfully relayed to the individual. If the review of an individual’s qualifications was initiated at an individual’s request by the individual’s physician, that physician shall be consulted and included in the notification and disclosure process.
(D) Upon identifying a qualified recipient who has not already submitted a claim for compensation and obtaining the qualified recipient’s contact information, the board shall contact the municipal health agency responsible for communicating possible exposure to communicable diseases in that qualified recipient’s geographic area when developing the notification protocol pursuant to subparagraph (C).
(E) Any notification protocol shall include notice of the availability of compensation under this chapter and information on how to submit a claim.
(5) Oversee the appeal process.
(b) (1) The board shall annually submit a report to the Legislature, including the number of applications submitted, the number of qualified individuals identified who have not filed an application and for whom disclosure is required, the number of disclosures communicated, the number of applications approved, the number of applications denied, the number of claimants paid, the number of appeals submitted, the result of those appeals, and the total amount paid in compensation.
(2) The report shall also include data on claimants’ demographic information, including gender, race, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, and gender identity, as voluntarily provided on a claimant’s application form. The report shall also include data about the age a claimant was sterilized and the facility where sterilization occurred, as verified by the board. All demographic information shall be reported in aggregate and the names of individual claimants shall be kept confidential.
(3) The report shall also include data on outreach methods or processes used by the board to reach potential claimants.
(4) The report shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(5) The report shall be made available to the public.
(c) (1) The board shall develop and implement procedures to receive and process applications for victim compensation under this program no later than six months after the start date of the program.
(2) The board shall implement the outreach plan described in paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) beginning six months after the start date of the program.
24212.
 (a) This chapter shall become operative only upon an appropriation of not less than seven million five hundred thousand dollars ($7,500,000) in the annual Budget Act or other statute, collectively appropriated to the board, the State Department of State Hospitals, the State Department of Developmental Services, and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for the purposes of implementing this chapter. Upon appropriation, the board and departments shall each post a notice on their internet websites informing the public of the date on which the program became operative.
(b) The board shall hold any funds appropriated to it for the purposes of this chapter in a separate account, and only those funds shall be used for the purpose of implementing the program.
24213.
 (a) (1) An individual seeking victim compensation pursuant to the program shall submit an application to the board beginning six months after the start date of the program and no later than two years and six months after the start date of the program.
(2) An individual incarcerated or otherwise under the control of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation at the time of filing an application need not exhaust administrative remedies before submitting an application for, or receiving, victim compensation pursuant to the program and shall not be disqualified from receiving compensation based on the individual’s incarcerated status.
(3) The board shall screen the application and accompanying documentation for completeness. If the board determines that an application is incomplete, it shall notify the claimant or the claimant’s lawfully authorized representative that the application is not complete in writing by certified mail no later than 30 calendar days following the screening of the application. The notification shall specify the additional documentation required to complete the application. If the application is incomplete, the claimant shall have 60 calendar days from the receipt of the notification to submit the required documentation. If the required documentation is not received within 60 calendar days, the application will be closed and the claimant shall submit a new application if the claimant seeks victim compensation pursuant to the program, to be reviewed without prejudice.
(4) The board shall not consider an application or otherwise act on it until the board determines the application is complete with all required documentation.
(5) If a claimant receives an adverse claim decision, the claimant may file an appeal to the board within 30 days of the receipt of the notice of decision. After receiving the appeal, the board shall again attempt to verify the claimant’s identity pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 24211. If the claimant’s identity cannot be verified, then the claimant shall produce sufficient evidence to establish, by a preponderance of the evidence, that it is more likely than not that the claimant is a qualified recipient. This evidence may include, but is not limited to, documentation of the individual’s sterilization, sterilization recommendation, surgical consent forms, relevant court or institutional records, or a sworn statement by the survivor or another individual with personal knowledge of the sterilization. The board shall make a determination on the appeal within 30 days of the date of the appeal and notify the claimant of the decision. A claimant who is successful in an appeal shall receive compensation in accordance with subdivision (b).
(b) The board shall award victim compensation to a qualified recipient pursuant to the following payment schedule:
(1) A claimant who is determined to be a qualified recipient by the board shall receive an initial payment within 60 days of the board’s determination. This initial payment shall be calculated by dividing the funds described in subdivision (b) of Section 24212 for victim compensation payments by the anticipated number of qualified recipients as determined by the board, and then dividing that dollar amount in half.
(2) After exhaustion of all appeals arising from the denial of an individual’s application, but by no later than two years and nine months after the start date of the program, the board shall send a final payment to all qualified recipients. This final payment shall be calculated by dividing the remaining balance of funds described in subdivision (b) of Section 24212 for victim compensation payments by the total number of qualified recipients.
24214.
 (a) A qualified recipient may assign victim compensation to a trust established for the qualified recipient’s benefit.
(b) (1) The board shall include a provision on the application for victim compensation under this program that a claimant is authorized to designate a beneficiary for the claimant’s victim compensation.
(2) If the claimant dies during the pendency of the claimant’s application, or after the board determines that the claimant is a qualified recipient, the board shall award the victim compensation to the named beneficiary. If the claimant did not name a beneficiary, then the victim compensation shall remain with the board for expenditure in accordance with subdivision (b) of Section 24213.
(c) An application may be made by an individual’s legally authorized representative if the individual satisfies the criteria for a qualified recipient, as specified in subdivision (c) of Section 24210.
24215.
 The State Department of State Hospitals, the State Department of Developmental Services, and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, in consultation with stakeholders, including at least one member and one advocate of those who were sterilized under California’s eugenics laws between 1909 to 1979, inclusive, and of those who were sterilized without proper authorization while imprisoned in California state prisons after 1979, shall establish markers or plaques at designated sites that acknowledge the wrongful sterilization of thousands of vulnerable people under eugenics policies and the subsequent sterilization of people in California’s women’s prisons caused, in part, by the forgotten lessons of the harms of the eugenics movement.
24216.
 The board shall keep confidential and not disclose to the public any record pertaining to either an individual’s application for victim compensation or the board’s verification of the application, including, but not limited to, claimant names and demographic information submitted on the application. Public disclosure of aggregated claimant information or the annual report required under subdivision (b) of Section 24211 is not a violation of this section.
24217.
 (a) Notwithstanding any other law, the payment made to a qualified recipient pursuant to this program shall not be considered any of the following:
(1) Taxable income for state tax purposes.
(2) Income or resources for purposes of determining the eligibility for, or amount of, any benefits or assistance under any state or local means-tested program.
(3) Income or resources in determining the eligibility for, or the amount of, any federal public benefits as provided by the Treatment of Certain Payments in Eugenics Compensation Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 18501).
(4) Community property for the purpose of determining property rights under the Family Code and Probate Code.
(b) Notwithstanding any other law, the payment made to a qualified recipient pursuant to this program shall not be subject to any of the following:
(1) Enforcement of a money judgment under state law.
(2) A money judgment in favor of the State Department of Health Care Services for any period of time in which federal law or guidance has not been issued by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services requiring the department to recover funds from the payments pursuant to this chapter for reimbursement of qualifying Medi-Cal expenditures. Following the death of a qualified recipient, both of the following shall apply as long as the federal law or guidance has not been issued:
(A) The state shall not seek recovery pursuant to Section 14009.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code of any amount of the payment under the state’s Medicaid plan established under Title XIX of the Social Security Act.
(B) The state shall not file a claim for the payment under Section 529A(f) of the Internal Revenue Code.
(3) The collection of owed child support.
(4) The collection of court-ordered restitution, fees, or fines.

SEC. 3.

 Section 4514 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

4514.
 All information and records obtained in the course of providing intake, assessment, and services under Division 4.1 (commencing with Section 4400), Division 4.5 (commencing with Section 4500), Division 6 (commencing with Section 6000), or Division 7 (commencing with Section 7100) to persons with developmental disabilities shall be confidential. Information and records obtained in the course of providing similar services to either voluntary or involuntary recipients before  prior to  1969 shall also be confidential. Information and records shall be disclosed only in any of the following cases:
(a) In communications between qualified professional persons, whether employed by a regional center or state developmental center, or not, in the provision of intake, assessment, and services or appropriate referrals. The consent of the person with a developmental disability, or the person’s guardian or conservator, shall be obtained before information or records may be disclosed by regional center or state developmental center personnel to a professional not employed by the regional center or state developmental center, or a program not vendored by a regional center or state developmental center.
(b) When the person with a developmental disability, who has the capacity to give informed consent, designates individuals to whom information or records may be released. This chapter does not compel a physician and surgeon, psychologist, social worker, marriage and family therapist, professional clinical counselor, nurse, attorney, or other professional to reveal information that has been given to the person in confidence by a family member of the person unless a valid release has been executed by that family member.
(c) To the extent necessary for a claim, or for a claim or application to be made on behalf of a person with a developmental disability for aid, insurance, government benefit, or medical assistance to which the person may be entitled.
(d) If the person with a developmental disability is a minor, dependent ward, or conservatee, and the person’s parent, guardian, conservator, limited conservator with access to confidential records, or authorized representative, designates, in writing, persons to whom records or information may be disclosed. This chapter does not compel a physician and surgeon, psychologist, social worker, marriage and family therapist, professional clinical counselor, nurse, attorney, or other professional to reveal information that has been given to the person in confidence by a family member of the person unless a valid release has been executed by that family member.
(e) For research, if the Director of Developmental Services designates, by regulation, rules for the conduct of research and requires the research to be first reviewed by the appropriate institutional review board or boards. These rules shall include, but need not be limited to, the requirement that all researchers shall sign an oath of confidentiality as follows:
 
“ 
 
Date
As a condition of doing research concerning persons with developmental disabilities who have received services from ____ (fill in the facility, agency, or person), I, ____, agree to obtain the prior informed consent of persons who have received services to the maximum degree possible as determined by the appropriate institutional review board or boards for protection of human subjects reviewing my research, or the person’s parent, guardian, or conservator, and I further agree not to divulge any information obtained in the course of the research to unauthorized persons, and not to publish or otherwise make public any information regarding persons who have received services so those persons who received services are identifiable.
I recognize that the unauthorized release of confidential information may make me subject to a civil action under provisions of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
 
”
 
Signed
(f) To the courts, as necessary to the administration of justice.
(g) To governmental law enforcement agencies as needed for the protection of federal and state elective constitutional officers and their families.
(h) To the Senate Committee on Rules or the Assembly Committee on Rules for the purposes of legislative investigation authorized by the committee.
(i) To the courts and designated parties as part of a regional center report or assessment in compliance with a statutory or regulatory requirement, including, but not limited to, Section 1827.5 of the Probate Code, Sections 1001.22 and 1370.1 of the Penal Code, and Section 6502 of this code.
(j) To the attorney for the person who was sterilized or alleges they have been sterilized, or to the attorney of an individual with a developmental disability in any and all proceedings upon presentation of a release of information signed by the person, except that when the person lacks the capacity to give informed consent, the regional center or state developmental center director or designee, upon satisfying themselves of the identity of the attorney, and of the fact that the attorney represents the person, shall release all information and records relating to the person. This article does not compel a physician and surgeon, psychologist, social worker, marriage and family therapist, professional clinical counselor, nurse, attorney, or other professional to reveal information that has been given to the person in confidence by a family member of the person unless a valid release has been executed by that family member.
(k) Upon written consent by a person with a developmental disability previously or presently receiving services from a regional center or state developmental center, the director of the regional center or state developmental center, or the director’s designee, may release any information, except information that has been given in confidence by members of the family of the person with a developmental disability, requested by a probation officer charged with the evaluation of the person after the person’s conviction of a crime if the regional center or state developmental center director or designee determines that the information is relevant to the evaluation. The consent shall only be operative until sentence is passed on the crime for which the person was convicted. The confidential information released pursuant to this subdivision shall be transmitted to the court separately from the probation report and shall not be placed in the probation report. The confidential information shall remain confidential except for purposes of sentencing. After sentencing, the confidential information shall be sealed.
(l) Between persons who are trained and qualified to serve on multidisciplinary personnel teams, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 18951. The information and records sought to be disclosed shall be relevant to the prevention, identification, management, or treatment of an abused child and the child’s parents pursuant to Chapter 11 (commencing with Section 18950) of Part 6 of Division 9.
(m) When a person with a developmental disability dies from any cause, natural or otherwise, while hospitalized in a state developmental center, the State Department of Developmental Services, the physician and surgeon in charge of the client, or the professional in charge of the facility or the professional’s designee, shall release the patient’s medical record to a medical examiner, forensic pathologist, or coroner, upon request. Except for the purposes included in paragraph (8) of subdivision (b) of Section 56.10 of the Civil Code, a medical examiner, forensic pathologist, or coroner shall not disclose any information contained in the medical record obtained pursuant to this subdivision without a court order or authorization pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (c) of Section 56.11 of the Civil Code.
(n) To authorized licensing personnel who are employed by, or who are authorized representatives of, the State Department of Public Health, and who are licensed or registered health professionals, and to authorized legal staff or special investigators who are peace officers who are employed by, or who are authorized representatives of, the State Department of Social Services, as necessary to the performance of their duties to inspect, license, and investigate health facilities and community care facilities, and to ensure that the standards of care and services provided in these facilities are adequate and appropriate and to ascertain compliance with the rules and regulations to which the facility is subject. The confidential information shall remain confidential except for purposes of inspection, licensing, or investigation pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 1250) and Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 1500) of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code, or a criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding in relation thereto. The confidential information may be used by the State Department of Public Health or the State Department of Social Services in a criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding. The confidential information shall be available only to the judge or hearing officer and to the parties to the case. Names that are confidential shall be listed in attachments separate to the general pleadings. The confidential information shall be sealed after the conclusion of the criminal, civil, or administrative hearings, and shall not subsequently be released except in accordance with this subdivision. If the confidential information does not result in a criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding, it shall be sealed after the State Department of Public Health or the State Department of Social Services decides that no further action will be taken in the matter of suspected licensing violations. Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, confidential information in the possession of the State Department of Public Health or the State Department of Social Services shall not contain the name of the person with a developmental disability.
(o) To a board that licenses and certifies professionals in the fields of mental health and developmental disabilities pursuant to state law, when the Director of Developmental Services has reasonable cause to believe that there has occurred a violation of a law subject to the jurisdiction of a board and the records are relevant to the violation. The information shall be sealed after a decision is reached in the matter of the suspected violation, and shall not subsequently be released except in accordance with this subdivision. Confidential information in the possession of the board shall not contain the name of the person with a developmental disability.
(p) (1) To governmental law enforcement agencies by the director of a regional center or state developmental center, or the director’s designee, when (A) the person with a developmental disability has been reported lost or missing or (B) there is probable cause to believe that a person with a developmental disability has committed, or has been the victim of, murder, manslaughter, mayhem, aggravated mayhem, kidnapping, robbery, carjacking, assault with the intent to commit a felony, arson, extortion, rape, forcible sodomy, forcible oral copulation, assault or battery, or unlawful possession of a weapon, as provided in any provision listed in Section 16590 of the Penal Code.
(2) This subdivision shall be limited solely to information directly relating to the factual circumstances of the commission of the enumerated offenses and shall not include information relating to the mental state of the patient or the circumstances of the patient’s treatment unless relevant to the crime involved.
(3) This subdivision is not an exception to, and does not in any other way affect, the provisions of Article 7 (commencing with Section 1010) of Chapter 4 of Division 8 of the Evidence Code, or Chapter 11 (commencing with Section 15600) and Chapter 13 (commencing with Section 15750) of Part 3 of Division 9.
(q) To the Division of Juvenile Facilities and Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation or any component thereof, as necessary to the administration of justice.
(r) To an agency mandated to investigate a report of abuse filed pursuant to either Section 11164 of the Penal Code or Section 15630 of this code for the purposes of either a mandated or voluntary report or when those agencies request information in the course of conducting their investigation.
(s) When a person with a developmental disability, or the parent, guardian, or conservator of a person with a developmental disability who lacks capacity to consent, fails to grant or deny a request by a regional center or state developmental center to release information or records relating to the person with a developmental disability within a reasonable period of time, the director of the regional or developmental center, or the director’s designee, may release information or records on behalf of that person if both of the following conditions are met:
(1) Release of the information or records is deemed necessary to protect the person’s health, safety, or welfare.
(2) The person, or the person’s parent, guardian, or conservator, has been advised annually in writing of the policy of the regional center or state developmental center for release of confidential client information or records when the person with developmental disabilities, or the person’s parent, guardian, or conservator, fails to respond to a request for release of the information or records within a reasonable period of time. A statement of policy contained in the client’s individual program plan shall be deemed to comply with the notice requirement of this paragraph.
(t) (1) When an employee is served with a notice of adverse action, as defined in Section 19570 of the Government Code, the following information and records may be released:
(A) All information and records that the appointing authority relied upon in issuing the notice of adverse action.
(B) All other information and records that are relevant to the adverse action, or that would constitute relevant evidence as defined in Section 210 of the Evidence Code.
(C) The information described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) may be released only if both of the following conditions are met:
(i) The appointing authority has provided written notice to the consumer and the consumer’s legal representative or, if the consumer has no legal representative or if the legal representative is a state agency, to the clients’ rights advocate, and the consumer, the consumer’s legal representative, or the clients’ rights advocate has not objected in writing to the appointing authority within five business days of receipt of the notice, or the appointing authority, upon review of the objection has determined that the circumstances on which the adverse action is based are egregious or threaten the health, safety, or life of the consumer or other consumers and without the information the adverse action could not be taken.
(ii) The appointing authority, the person against whom the adverse action has been taken, and the person’s representative, if any, have entered into a stipulation that does all of the following:
(I) Prohibits the parties from disclosing or using the information or records for any purpose other than the proceedings for which the information or records were requested or provided.
(II) Requires the employee and the employee’s legal representative to return to the appointing authority all records provided to them under this subdivision, including, but not limited to, all records and documents or copies thereof that are no longer in the possession of the employee or the employee’s legal representative because they were from a source containing confidential information protected by this section, and all copies of those records and documents, within 10 days of the date that the adverse action becomes final, except for the actual records and documents submitted to the administrative tribunal as a component of an appeal from the adverse action.
(III) Requires the parties to submit the stipulation to the administrative tribunal with jurisdiction over the adverse action at the earliest possible opportunity.
(2) For the purposes of this subdivision, the State Personnel Board may issue, before may, prior to  an appeal from adverse action being filed with it, issue  a protective order, upon application by the appointing authority, for the limited purpose of prohibiting the parties from disclosing or using information or records for any purpose other than the proceeding for which the information or records were requested or provided, and to require the employee or the employee’s legal representative to return to the appointing authority all records provided to them under this subdivision, including, but not limited to, all records and documents from any source containing confidential information protected by this section, and all copies of those records and documents, within 10 days of the date that the adverse action becomes final, except for the actual records and documents that are no longer in the possession of the employee or the employee’s legal representatives because they were submitted to the administrative tribunal as a component of an appeal from the adverse action.
(3) Individual identifiers, including, but not limited to, names, social security numbers, and hospital numbers, that are not necessary for the prosecution or defense of the adverse action, shall not be disclosed.
(4) All records, documents, or other materials containing confidential information protected by this section that have been submitted or otherwise disclosed to the administrative agency or other person as a component of an appeal from an adverse action shall, upon proper motion by the appointing authority to the administrative tribunal, be placed under administrative seal and shall not, thereafter, be subject to disclosure to any person or entity except upon the issuance of an order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
(5) For purposes of this subdivision, an adverse action becomes final when the employee fails to answer within the time specified in Section 19575 of the Government Code, or, after filing an answer, withdraws the appeal, or, upon exhaustion of the administrative appeal or of the judicial review remedies as otherwise provided by law.
(u) To the person appointed as the developmental services decisionmaker for a minor, dependent, or ward pursuant to Section 319, 361, or 726.
(v) To a protection and advocacy agency established pursuant to Section 4901, to the extent that the information is incorporated within any of the following:
(1) An unredacted facility evaluation report form or an unredacted complaint investigation report form of the State Department of Social Services. This information shall remain confidential and subject to the confidentiality requirements of subdivision (f) of Section 4903.
(2) An unredacted citation report, unredacted licensing report, unredacted survey report, unredacted plan of correction, or unredacted statement of deficiency of the State Department of Public Health, prepared by authorized licensing personnel or authorized representatives described in subdivision (n). This information shall remain confidential and subject to the confidentiality requirements of subdivision (f) of Section 4903.
(w) To the regional center clients’ rights advocate who provides service pursuant to Section 4433, unless the consumer objects on the consumer’s own behalf, for the purpose of providing authorized clients’ rights advocacy services pursuant to Section 4418.25 or 4418.7, subparagraph (B) or (C) of paragraph (9) of subdivision (a) of Section 4648, Sections 4684.80 to 4684.87, inclusive, or Section 4698 or 7502.5 of this code, or Section 1267.75 or 1531.15 of the Health and Safety Code.
(x) For purposes of this section, a reference to a “medical examiner, forensic pathologist, or coroner” means a coroner or deputy coroner, as described in subdivision (c) of Section 830.35 of the Penal Code, or a licensed physician who currently performs official autopsies on behalf of a county coroner’s office or a medical examiner’s office, whether as a government employee or under contract to that office.
(y) To authorized personnel who are employed by the Employment Development Department as necessary to enable the Employment Development Department to provide the information required to be disclosed to the State Department of Developmental Services pursuant to subdivision (ak) of Section 1095 of the Unemployment Insurance Code. The Employment Development Department shall maintain the confidentiality of information provided to it by the State Department of Developmental Services to the same extent as if the Employment Development Department had acquired the information directly.
(z) To authorized personnel who are employed by the State Department of Social Services as necessary to enable the department to provide the information required to be disclosed to the State Department of Developmental Services pursuant to Section 10850.6. The State Department of Social Services shall maintain the confidentiality of any information provided to it by the State Department of Developmental Services to the same extent as if the State Department of Social Services had directly acquired that information. acquired the information directly. 
(aa) To authorized personnel who are employed by the California Victim Compensation Board for the purposes of verifying the identity and eligibility of individuals claiming compensation pursuant to the Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Compensation Program described in Chapter 1.6 (commencing with Section 24210) of Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code. The California Victim Compensation Board shall maintain the confidentiality of any information or records received from the department in accordance with Part 160 (commencing with Section 160.101) and Part 164 (commencing with Section 164.102) of Subchapter C of Subtitle A of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations and this section. Public disclosure of aggregated claimant information or the annual report required under subdivision (b) of Section 24211 of the Health and Safety Code is not a violation of this section.

SEC. 4.

 Section 5328 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

5328.
 (a) All information and records obtained in the course of providing services under Division 4 (commencing with Section 4000), Division 4.1 (commencing with Section 4400), Division 4.5 (commencing with Section 4500), Division 5 (commencing with Section 5000), Division 6 (commencing with Section 6000), or Division 7 (commencing with Section 7100), to either voluntary or involuntary recipients of services are confidential. Information and records obtained in the course of providing similar services to either voluntary or involuntary recipients before 1969 are also confidential. Information and records shall be disclosed only in any of the following cases:
(1) (A)  In communications between qualified professional persons in the provision of services or appropriate referrals, or in the course of conservatorship proceedings. The consent of the patient, or the patient’s guardian or conservator, shall be obtained before information or records may be disclosed by a professional person employed by a facility to a professional person not employed by the facility who does not have the medical or psychological responsibility for the patient’s care.
(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), if the patient is a dependent or ward of the juvenile court who has been removed from the physical custody of their parents, legal guardian, or Indian custodian, and who is not under a conservatorship, the consent of the patient or their guardian or conservator is not required before information or records may be disclosed to the dependent’s or ward’s social worker or probation officer for the purposes of ensuring the dependent or ward receives all necessary services or referrals for transition out of a facility to a lower level of care as allowed under 45 C.F.R. Sections 164.502(a)(1)(ii) and 164.512 or any successor regulations. Information obtained pursuant to this paragraph shall not be used in any criminal or juvenile justice proceeding without complying with Section 827. This paragraph does not prohibit evidence identical to that contained within the records from being admissible in a criminal or juvenile justice proceeding, if the evidence is derived solely from means other than this paragraph, as permitted by law. This section does not permit the disclosure of records from a juvenile case file absent compliance with the provisions of Section 827.
(2) If the patient, with the approval of the physician and surgeon, licensed psychologist, social worker with a master’s degree in social work, licensed marriage and family therapist, or licensed professional clinical counselor, who is in charge of the patient, designates persons to whom information or records may be released, except that this article does not compel a physician and surgeon, licensed psychologist, social worker with a master’s degree in social work, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed professional clinical counselor, nurse, attorney, or other professional person to reveal information that has been given to the person in confidence by members of a patient’s family. This paragraph does not authorize a licensed marriage and family therapist or licensed professional clinical counselor to provide services or to be in charge of a patient’s care beyond the therapist’s or counselor’s lawful scope of practice.
(3) To the extent necessary for a recipient to make a claim, or for a claim to be made on behalf of a recipient for aid, insurance, or medical assistance to which the recipient may be entitled.
(4) (A)  If the recipient of services is a conservatee or a minor who has been admitted with the consent of their parent or legal guardian, and their conservator, parent, or legal guardian, or a guardian ad litem minor, ward, dependent, or conservatee, and the recipient’s parent, guardian, guardian ad litem, conservator, or authorized representative  designates, in writing, persons to whom records or information may be disclosed, except that this article does not compel a physician and surgeon, licensed psychologist, social worker with a master’s degree in social work, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed professional clinical counselor, nurse, attorney, or other professional person to reveal information that has been given to the person in confidence by members of a patient’s family.
(B) If the recipient of services is a minor dependent or ward of the juvenile court and has been removed from the physical custody of their parents, legal guardian, or Indian custodian, and their attorney or guardian ad litem, in consultation with the dependent or ward, designates in writing persons to whom records or information may be disclosed. This provision shall not be construed to require written designation for the disclosures permitted by subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) or paragraph (12).
(5) For research, provided that the Director of Health Care Services, the Director of State Hospitals, the Director of Social Services, or the Director of Developmental Services designates by regulation, rules for the conduct of research and requires the research to be first reviewed by the appropriate institutional review board or boards. The rules shall include, but need not be limited to, the requirement that all researchers shall sign an oath of confidentiality as follows:
Date
As a condition of doing research concerning persons who have received services from ____ (fill in the facility, agency, or person), I, ____, agree to obtain the prior informed consent of those persons who have received services to the maximum degree possible as determined by the appropriate institutional review board or boards for protection of human subjects reviewing my research, and I further agree not to divulge any information obtained in the course of that research to unauthorized persons, and not to publish or otherwise make public any information regarding persons who have received services such that the person who received services is identifiable.
I recognize that the unauthorized release of confidential information may make me subject to a civil action under provisions of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(6) To the courts, as necessary to the administration of justice.
(7) To governmental law enforcement agencies as needed for the protection of federal and state elective constitutional officers and their families.
(8) To the Senate Committee on Rules or the Assembly Committee on Rules for the purposes of legislative investigation authorized by the committee.
(9) If the recipient of services who applies for life or disability insurance designates in writing the insurer to which records or information may be disclosed.
(10) To the attorney for the patient in any and all proceedings upon presentation of a release of information signed by the patient, except that when the patient is unable to sign the release, the staff of the facility, upon satisfying itself of the identity of the attorney, and of the fact that the attorney does represent the interests of the patient, may release all information and records relating to the patient, except that this article does not compel a physician and surgeon, licensed psychologist, social worker with a master’s degree in social work, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed professional clinical counselor, nurse, attorney, or other professional person to reveal information that has been given to the person in confidence by members of a patient’s family.
(11) Upon written agreement by a person previously confined in or otherwise treated by a facility, the professional person in charge of the facility or the professional person’s designee may release any information, except information that has been given in confidence by members of the person’s family, requested by a probation officer charged with the evaluation of the person after the person’s conviction of a crime if the professional person in charge of the facility determines that the information is relevant to the evaluation. The agreement shall only be operative until sentence is passed on the crime of which the person was convicted. The confidential information released pursuant to this paragraph shall be transmitted to the court separately from the probation report and shall not be placed in the probation report. The confidential information shall remain confidential except for purposes of sentencing. After sentencing, the confidential information shall be sealed.
(12) (A) Between persons who are trained and qualified to serve on multidisciplinary personnel teams pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 18951. The information and records sought to be disclosed shall be relevant to the provision of child welfare services or the investigation, prevention, identification, management, or treatment of child abuse or neglect pursuant to Chapter 11 (commencing with Section 18950) of Part 6 of Division 9. Information obtained pursuant to this paragraph shall not be used in any criminal or juvenile justice  delinquency  proceeding. This paragraph does not prohibit evidence identical to that contained within the records from being admissible in a criminal or juvenile justice  delinquency  proceeding, if the evidence is derived solely from means other than this paragraph, as permitted by law.
(B) As used in this paragraph, “child welfare services” means those services that are directed at preventing child abuse or neglect.
(13) To county patients’ rights advocates who have been given knowing voluntary authorization by a client or a guardian ad litem. The client or guardian ad litem, whoever entered into the agreement, may revoke the authorization at any time, either in writing or by oral declaration to an approved advocate.
(14) To a committee established in compliance with Section 14725.
(15) In providing information as described in Section 7325.5. This paragraph does not permit the release of any information other than that described in Section 7325.5.
(16) To the county behavioral health director or the director’s designee, or to a law enforcement officer, or to the person designated by a law enforcement agency, pursuant to Sections 5152.1 and 5250.1.
(17) If the patient gives consent, information specifically pertaining to the existence of genetically handicapping conditions, as defined in Section 125135 of the Health and Safety Code, may be released to qualified professional persons for purposes of genetic counseling for blood relatives upon request of the blood relative. For purposes of this paragraph, “qualified professional persons” means those persons with the qualifications necessary to carry out the genetic counseling duties under this paragraph as determined by the genetic disease unit established in the State Department of Health Care Services under Section 125000 of the Health and Safety Code. If the patient does not respond or cannot respond to a request for permission to release information pursuant to this paragraph after reasonable attempts have been made over a two-week period to get a response, the information may be released upon request of the blood relative.
(18) If the patient, in the opinion of the patient’s psychotherapist, presents a serious danger of violence to a reasonably foreseeable victim or victims, then any of the information or records specified in this section may be released to that person or persons and to law enforcement agencies and county child welfare agencies as the psychotherapist determines is needed for the protection of that person or persons. For purposes of this paragraph, “psychotherapist” has the same meaning as provided in Section 1010 of the Evidence Code.
(19) (A) To the designated officer of an emergency response employee, and from that designated officer to an emergency response employee regarding possible exposure to HIV or AIDS, but only to the extent necessary to comply with the federal Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-381; 42 U.S.C. Sec. 201).
(B) For purposes of this paragraph, “designated officer” and “emergency response employee” have the same meaning as these terms are used in the federal Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-381; 42 U.S.C. Sec. 201).
(C) The designated officer shall be subject to the confidentiality requirements specified in Section 120980 of the Health and Safety Code, and may be personally liable for unauthorized release of any identifying information about the HIV results. Further, the designated officer shall inform the exposed emergency response employee that the employee is also subject to the confidentiality requirements specified in Section 120980 of the Health and Safety Code, and may be personally liable for unauthorized release of any identifying information about the HIV test results.
(20) (A) To a law enforcement officer who personally lodges with a facility, as defined in subparagraph (B), a warrant of arrest or an abstract of a warrant showing that the person sought is wanted for a serious felony, as defined in Section 1192.7 of the Penal Code, or a violent felony, as defined in Section 667.5 of the Penal Code. The information sought and released shall be limited to whether or not the person named in the arrest warrant is presently confined in the facility. This subparagraph shall be implemented with minimum disruption to health facility operations and patients, in accordance with Section 5212. If the law enforcement officer is informed that the person named in the warrant is confined in the facility, the officer may not enter the facility to arrest the person without obtaining a valid search warrant or the permission of staff of the facility.
(B) For purposes of subparagraph (A), a facility means all of the following:
(i) A state hospital, as defined in Section 4001.
(ii) A general acute care hospital, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 1250 of the Health and Safety Code, solely with regard to information pertaining to a person with mental illness subject to this section.
(iii) An acute psychiatric hospital, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 1250 of the Health and Safety Code.
(iv) A psychiatric health facility, as described in Section 1250.2 of the Health and Safety Code.
(v) A mental health rehabilitation center, as described in Section 5675.
(vi) A skilled nursing facility with a special treatment program for individuals with mental illness, as described in Sections 51335 and 72445 to 72475, inclusive, of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations.
(vii) A psychiatric residential treatment facility, as defined in Section 1250.10 of the Health and Safety Code.
(21) Between persons who are trained and qualified to serve on multidisciplinary personnel teams pursuant to Section 15610.55. The information and records sought to be disclosed shall be relevant to the prevention, identification, management, or treatment of an abused elder or dependent adult pursuant to Chapter 13 (commencing with Section 15750) of Part 3 of Division 9.
(22) (A) When an employee is served with a notice of adverse action, as defined in Section 19570 of the Government Code, all of the following information and records may be released:
(i) All information and records that the appointing authority relied upon in issuing the notice of adverse action.
(ii) All other information and records that are relevant to the adverse action, or that would constitute relevant evidence as defined in Section 210 of the Evidence Code.
(iii) The information described in clauses (i) and (ii) may be released only if both of the following conditions are met:
(I) The appointing authority has provided written notice to the consumer and the consumer’s legal representative or, if the consumer has no legal representative or if the legal representative is a state agency, to the clients’ rights advocate, and the consumer, the consumer’s legal representative, or the clients’ rights advocate has not objected in writing to the appointing authority within five business days of receipt of the notice, or the appointing authority, upon review of the objection, has determined that the circumstances on which the adverse action is based are egregious or threaten the health, safety, or life of the consumer or other consumers and without the information the adverse action could not be taken.
(II) The appointing authority, the person against whom the adverse action has been taken, and the person’s representative, if any, have entered into a stipulation that does all of the following:
(ia) Prohibits the parties from disclosing or using the information or records for any purpose other than the proceedings for which the information or records were requested or provided.
(ib) Requires the employee and the employee’s legal representative to return to the appointing authority all records provided to them under this paragraph, including, but not limited to, all records and documents from any source containing confidential information protected by this section, and all copies of those records and documents, within 10 days of the date that the adverse action becomes final, except for the actual records and documents or copies thereof that are no longer in the possession of the employee or the employee’s legal representative because they were submitted to the administrative tribunal as a component of an appeal from the adverse action.
(ic) Requires the parties to submit the stipulation to the administrative tribunal with jurisdiction over the adverse action at the earliest possible opportunity.
(B) For purposes of this paragraph, the State Personnel Board may, before any appeal from adverse action being filed with it, issue a protective order, upon application by the appointing authority, for the limited purpose of prohibiting the parties from disclosing or using information or records for any purpose other than the proceeding for which the information or records were requested or provided, and to require the employee or the employee’s legal representative to return to the appointing authority all records provided to them under this paragraph, including, but not limited to, all records and documents from any source containing confidential information protected by this section, and all copies of those records and documents, within 10 days of the date that the adverse action becomes final, except for the actual records and documents or copies thereof that are no longer in the possession of the employee or the employee’s legal representatives because they were submitted to the administrative tribunal as a component of an appeal from the adverse action.
(C) Individual identifiers, including, but not limited to, names, social security numbers, and hospital numbers, that are not necessary for the prosecution or defense of the adverse action, shall not be disclosed.
(D) All records, documents, or other materials containing confidential information protected by this section that have been submitted or otherwise disclosed to the administrative agency or other person as a component of an appeal from an adverse action shall, upon proper motion by the appointing authority to the administrative tribunal, be placed under administrative seal and shall not, thereafter, be subject to disclosure to any person or entity except upon the issuance of an order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
(E) For purposes of this paragraph, an adverse action becomes final when the employee fails to answer within the time specified in Section 19575 of the Government Code, or, after filing an answer, withdraws the appeal, or, upon exhaustion of the administrative appeal or of the judicial review remedies as otherwise provided by law.
(23) To the person appointed as the developmental services decisionmaker for a minor, dependent, or ward pursuant to Section 319, 361, or 726.
(24) During the provision of emergency services and care, as defined in Section 1317.1 of the Health and Safety Code, the communication of patient information between a physician and surgeon, licensed psychologist, social worker with a master’s degree in social work, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed professional clinical counselor, nurse, emergency medical personnel at the scene of an emergency or in an emergency medical transport vehicle, or other professional person or emergency medical personnel at a health facility licensed pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 1250) of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code.
(25) To a business associate or for health care operations purposes, in accordance with Part 160 (commencing with Section 160.101) and Part 164 (commencing with Section 164.102) of Subchapter C of Subtitle A of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(26) To authorized personnel who are employed by the California Victim Compensation Board for the purposes of verifying the identity and eligibility of individuals claiming compensation pursuant to the Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Compensation Program described in Chapter 1.6 (commencing with Section 24210) of Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code. The California Victim Compensation Board shall maintain the confidentiality of any information or records received from the department in accordance with Part 160 (commencing with Section 160.101) and Part 164 (commencing with Section 164.102) of Subchapter C of Subtitle A of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations and this section. Public disclosure of aggregated claimant information or the annual report required under subdivision (b) of Section 24211 of the Health and Safety Code is not a violation of this section.
(27) To parties to a judicial or administrative proceeding as permitted by law, and who satisfy the requirements under Part 164 (commencing with Section 164.512(e)) of Subchapter C of Subtitle A of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations, except that this paragraph shall not be construed to affect any rights or privileges provided under law of any party or nonparty.
(28) To the State Department of Health Care Services for the purposes of Section 4081.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), patient information and records shall, as necessary, be provided to and discussed with district attorneys for purposes of commitment, recommitment, or petitions for release proceedings for patients committed under Sections 1026, 1370, 1600, 2962, and 2972 of the Penal Code and Section 6600 of this code, unless otherwise prohibited by law.
(c) (b)  The amendment of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) enacted at the 1970 Regular Session of the Legislature does not constitute a change in, but is declaratory of, the preexisting law.
(d) (c)  This section is not limited by Section 5150.05 or 5332.
SEC. 5.
  The Legislature finds and declares that Section 2 of this act, which adds Section 24216 to the Health and Safety Code, imposes a limitation on the public’s right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies within the meaning of Section 3 of Article I of the California Constitution. Pursuant to that constitutional provision, the Legislature makes the following findings to demonstrate the interest protected by this limitation and the need for protecting that interest:
This act strikes an appropriate balance between the public’s right to access information and the need to protect personal information of survivors of state-sponsored sterilization conducted pursuant to eugenics laws that existed in the State of California between 1909 and 1979.