BILL NUMBER: SB 123	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Liu

                        JANUARY 15, 2015

   An act to add and repeal Section 33134 of the Education Code,
relating to the Superintendent of Public Instruction.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 123, as introduced, Liu. Superintendent of Public Instruction:
report: School-Based Medi-Cal Administrative Activities program.
   Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is
administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under
which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services.
The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed by, and funded pursuant
to, federal Medicaid Program provisions. Existing law establishes an
administrative claiming process under which local governmental
agencies and local educational consortia contract with the department
for the purpose of obtaining federal matching funds to assist with
the performance of administrative activities relating to the Medi-Cal
program. Existing law defines a local educational agency for these
purposes as a local educational agency that participates under the
process as a subcontractor to the local educational consortium in its
service region.
   This bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction
to review and prepare specific recommendations relative to the
administration and oversight of the School-Based Medi-Cal
Administrative Activities program. The bill would require the
Superintendent to submit a report containing the specific
recommendations to the Legislature and the Governor by July 1, 2016,
and would require the report to include, but not necessarily be
limited to, an evaluation of specified entities, administrative
structures, and information.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 33134 is added to the Education Code, to read:
   33134.  (a) The Superintendent shall review and prepare specific
recommendations relative to the administration and oversight of the
School-Based Medi-Cal Administrative Activities program. A report
containing the specific recommendations shall be submitted to the
Legislature and the Governor by July 1, 2016. The Superintendent's
report shall consider the report on the School-Based Medi-Cal
Administrative Activities program issued by the California State
Auditor in 2015, and shall include, but not necessarily be limited
to, an evaluation of all of the following:
   (1) The appropriate state agency or agencies to administer the
program.
   (2) Oversight of the administration of the program, including
oversight of the state agency, local governmental agencies, and local
educational consortia.
   (3) The structure of the program and role of each entity,
including the local governmental agencies and local educational
consortia, how the structures and roles vary across the state, and
the efficiency of those structures and roles in providing funds to
local educational agencies.
   (4) The relationships, interactions, and communications state
agencies have with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services, and the process used to disseminate information from the
federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to local
educational agencies.
   (5) The process for reimbursing claims submitted by local
educational agencies, including the amount reimbursed compared to the
amount claimed, the time between submission of a claim and the
reimbursement of that claim, and how the claim and reimbursement
process varies across the state.
   (6) The purposes for which local educational agencies use program
funds.
   (7) The relationship between local governmental agencies or local
educational consortia and the private or public entities that have
been subcontracted to assist with the performance of administrative
activities.
   (8) The rates charged by the local governmental agency and local
educational consortia, how those rates vary across the state, and how
rates are determined.
   (9) The ability of a local educational agency to contract with a
local governmental agency or a local educational consortium of its
choosing.
   (10) The feasibility of convening a local educational agency
advisory body for the purposes of providing technical assistance to
local educational agencies and communicating with the administering
state agency.
   (11) The extent to which the state is maximizing federal funds
available for the program.
   (12) How capacity to operate the program can be built within local
educational agencies.
   (b) For purposes of this section, "local governmental agency"
shall have the same meaning as specified in subdivision (n) of
Section 14132.47 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, "local
educational agency" shall have the same meaning as specified in
subdivision (o) of Section 14132.47 of the Welfare and Institutions
Code, and "local educational consortium" shall have the same meaning
as specified in subdivision (p) of Section 14132.47 of the Welfare
and Institutions Code.
   (c) (1) A report to be submitted to the Legislature pursuant to
subdivision (a) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of
the Government Code.
   (2) Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this
section is repealed on January 1, 2021.