INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Runner

FEBRUARY 26, 1999

An act to add Article 10 (commencing with Section 130075) to Chapter 1 of Part 7 of Division 107 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to hospitals.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1227, as amended, Runner. Hospitals.

Under existing law, the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development is responsible for reviewing and approving seismic evaluation reports, compliance schedules, and construction documents that are developed by hospital owners and for the field review of construction for work done for purposes of seismic safety in hospitals. Existing law requires the office to develop regulations as they apply to the administration of seismic standards for retrofit designs, construction, and field reviews for the purposes of provisions governing seismic safety in hospitals.

Existing law requires the California Building Standards Commission to adopt seismic retrofit building standards and procedures for reviewing requests and granting delays to hospitals that demonstrate a need for more time. Existing law requires, within 3 years after the adoption of the standards by the commission, owners of all general acute care hospitals to prepare a plan and compliance schedule for each building under the office's jurisdiction which indicates, among other things, the phasing out of or retrofit of noncomplying structures and systems.

This bill would state the intent of the Legislature that funding received by the state from the settlement reached on November 14, 1998, between tobacco companies and the State of California be expended to provide funding for retrofitting hospitals.

This bill would establish the Hospital Retrofit Fund and state the intent of the Legislature to allocate money in the fund to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development to make grants to hospitals for the purpose of retrofitting the hospitals to meet seismic retrofit building standards.

The bill would require the transfer, to the fund, of money received by the state pursuant to the Master Settlement Agreement reached by the tobacco companies and the states' attorneys general.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no yes . State-mandated local program: no.

SECTION 1. It is the intent of the Legislature that funding received by the state from the settlement reached on November 14, 1998, between tobacco companies and the State of California be expended to provide funding for retrofitting hospitals.

SECTION 1. Article 10 (commencing with Section 130075) is added to Chapter 1 of Part 7 of Division 107 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:

Article 10. Hospital Retrofit Funding

130075. (a) For purposes of this article, "fund" means the Hospital Retrofit Fund created by this section.

(b) The Hospital Retrofit Fund is hereby created in the State Treasury. It is the intent of the Legislature that money in the fund shall be allocated to the office for grants to hospitals for the purpose of retrofitting those hospitals to meet the requirements established pursuant to Sections 130020, 130050, 130060, and 130065, upon appropriation by the Legislature.

(c) All money received by the state pursuant to the Master Settlement Agreement reached on November 14, 1998, between tobacco companies and the attorneys general of the states, other than those funds allocated to local governments, shall be transferred to the fund.