Bill Text: CA SB683 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Developmental services: regional centers.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2019-08-30 - August 30 hearing: Held in committee and under submission. [SB683 Detail]

Download: California-2019-SB683-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Senate  May 21, 2019

Amended  IN  Senate  April 25, 2019

Amended  IN  Senate  April 01, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill

No. 683

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Introduced by Senator Grove

February 22, 2019

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An act to add Sections 4519.3 and 4519.4 to amend Section 4629.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to developmental services.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 683, as amended, Grove. Developmental services: regional centers.

Existing law, the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, requires the State Department of Developmental Services to contract with private nonprofit corporations for the establishment of regional centers to provide services and supports to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.

Existing law requires the department and regional centers to annually collaborate to compile specified data relating to purchase of service authorization, utilization, and expenditure in a uniform manner. Existing law requires each regional center to post the data specific to that regional center on its internet website.

This bill would require regional centers, on or before January 1, 2021, to provide quantitative data that is available to the public in a machine readable format upon request. The bill would require the department, in collaboration with regional centers and other relevant stakeholders, to determine the appropriate machine readable format to be used by regional centers in implementing this provision.

The bill would require the department to determine an appropriate standardized internet website format and to provide those requirements to the regional centers on or before June 30, 2020. The bill would require regional center internet websites, on or before January 1, 2021, to conform that standardized format developed by the department.

Existing law requires a regional center to include specified information on its internet website for the purpose of promoting transparency and access to public information, including, among other things, regional center annual independent audits and purchase of service policies. Existing law requires the department to establish and maintain a transparency portal on its internet website that allows consumers, families, advocates, and others to access provider and regional center information, and requires posted information on the department’s internet website transparency portal to include, among other things, a link to each regional center’s internet website information.

This bill would, on or before January 1, 2021, require the department and regional centers to provide all numeric data disclosed to the public in a machine-readable format, as specified, in addition to any other format in which the data may be provided. The bill would also, on or before June 30, 2020, require the department to develop, provide to regional centers, and post on its internet website, transparency guidelines for the disclosure of information that regional centers are required to post on their internet website pursuant to existing law. The bill would, on or before January 1, 2021, require each regional center to ensure that all disclosures of information made by the regional center on its internet website are accessible through a public disclosures menu located on the homepage of its internet website, and that the regional center’s internet website conforms to the transparency guidelines developed by the department.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

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

SECTION 1.

 Section 4629.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

4629.5.

 (a) In addition to the requirements set forth in Section 4629, the department’s contract with a regional center shall require the regional center to adopt, maintain, and post on its Internet Web site internet website a board-approved policy regarding transparency and access to public information. The transparency and public information policy shall provide for timely public access to information, including, but not limited to, information regarding requests for proposals and contract awards, service provider rates, documentation related to establishment of negotiated rates, audits, and IRS Form 990. The transparency and public information policy shall be in compliance with applicable law relating to the confidentiality of consumer service information and records, including, but not limited to, Section 4514.

(b) To promote transparency, each regional center shall include on its Internet Web site, internet website, as expeditiously as possible, at least all of the following:

(1) Regional center annual independent audits.

(2) Biannual fiscal audits conducted by the department.

(3) Regional center annual reports pursuant to Section 4639.5.

(4) Contract awards, including the organization or entity awarded the contract, and the amount and purpose of the award.

(5) Purchase of service policies.

(6) The names, types of service, and contact information of all vendors, except consumers or family members of consumers.

(7) Board meeting agendas and approved minutes of open meetings of the board and all committees of the board.

(8) Bylaws of the regional center governing board.

(9) The annual performance contract and yearend performance contract entered into with the department pursuant to this division.

(10) The biannual Home and Community-based Services Waiver program review conducted by the department and the State Department of Health Care Services.

(11) The board-approved transparency and public information policy.

(12) The board-approved conflict-of-interest policy.

(13) Reports required pursuant to Section 4639.5.

(14) A link to the page on the department’s Internet Web site internet website specified in subdivision (d).

(15) The salaries, wages, and employee benefits for all managerial positions for which the primary purpose is the administrative management of the regional center, including, but not limited to, directors and chief executive officers.

(c) The department shall establish and maintain a transparency portal on its Internet Web site internet website that allows consumers, families, advocates, and others to access provider and regional center information. Posted information on the department’s Internet Web site internet website transparency portal shall include, but need not be limited to, all of the following:

(1) A link to each regional center’s Internet Web site internet website information referenced in subdivision (b).

(2) Biannual fiscal audits conducted by the department.

(3) Vendor audits.

(4) Biannual Home and Community-based Services Waiver program reviews conducted by the department and the State Department of Health Care Services.

(5) Biannual targeted case management program and federal nursing home reform program reviews conducted by the department.

(6) Early Start Program reviews conducted by the department.

(7) Annual performance contract and year-end performance contract reports.

(d) The department shall establish and maintain a page on its Internet Web site internet website that includes both a list of services purchased by regional centers or provided directly to consumers by regional centers and a brief description of those services.

(e) (1) On or before January 1, 2021, the department and regional centers shall provide all numeric data disclosed to the public, including, but not limited to, data made available on their internet website or upon request, in a machine-readable format, such as comma-separated values (.csv), in addition to any other format in which the data may be provided.

(2) The department, in collaboration with regional centers and other relevant stakeholders, shall determine the appropriate machine-readable format to be used by the department and regional centers in implementing this subdivision.

(f) (1) (A) On or before June 30, 2020, the department shall develop, provide to regional centers, and post on its internet website, transparency guidelines for the disclosure of information, whether numeric or nonnumeric in nature, that regional centers are required to post on their internet website pursuant to existing law.

(B) The transparency guidelines shall include uniform standards for the public disclosures menu described in paragraph (2), including, but not limited to, the location and title of the public disclosures menu on the homepage of each regional center’s internet website and the title, format, content, and ease of access of each specific disclosure listed in the public disclosures menu.

(C) In formulating the transparency guidelines, the department shall solicit stakeholder input and hold at least one public hearing to allow stakeholders and other interested parties to provide input in person.

(2) On or before January 1, 2021, each regional center shall ensure both of the following:

(A) All disclosures of information made by the regional center on its internet website are accessible through a public disclosures menu located on the homepage of its internet website.

(B) The regional center’s internet website conforms to the transparency guidelines, including the uniform standards for the public disclosures menu, developed pursuant to paragraph (1).

SECTION 1.Section 4519.3 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:

4519.3.

(a)On or before January 1, 2021, a regional center shall provide any quantitative data that is available to the public in a machine-readable format upon request.

(b)The department, in collaboration with regional centers and other relevant stakeholders, shall determine the appropriate machine-readable format to be used by regional centers in implementing this section.

SEC. 2.Section 4519.4 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:

4519.4.

(a)On or before January 1, 2021, the internet websites of all regional centers shall conform to the standardized format developed by the department pursuant to subdivision (b).

(b)(1)The department shall determine an appropriate standardized internet website format to be used by regional centers and provide those requirements to the regional centers on or before June 30, 2020.

(2)In determining the standardized internet website format to be used by regional centers pursuant to this subdivision, the department shall solicit stakeholder input and hold at least one public hearing to allow stakeholders and other interested parties to provide input in person.

(3)Upon completion, the department shall make the completed standardized internet website format requirements for regional centers available on the department’s internet website.