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Appropriations clears AB 870 to let Alpine County contract with neighbor for children's medical services
Summary
The committee approved AB 870, which would let California's smallest county contract with a neighboring county to administer California Children's Services for Alpine County, citing limited local staffing; the Department of Finance estimated ongoing general fund costs of about $78,000 to adopt standards.
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted to pass AB 870 to the Senate floor. The bill, carried by Assemblymember Hadwick, would allow Alpine County to contract with a neighboring county to administer the California Children's Services (CCS) program when Alpine does not have the staff to operate the program locally.
Assemblymember Hadwick said Alpine County, with a population of about 1,200, currently has a single nurse to serve medically fragile, low-income children and that the county cannot operate the program reliably when that nurse is unavailable. "This bill would bring immense relief to sick and disabled low income children in Alpine County and the families who depend on these life-saving services," Hadwick said.
Department of Finance materials and the author's summary cited a Department of Health Care Services estimate that establishing standards for county-to-county administration would have an ongoing general-fund cost of approximately $78,000; the author said the one-time administrative cost to adopt regulations should be modest.
Jean Hurst, representing Alpine County, said the measure is a narrowly tailored, technical fix that will allow neighboring counties to provide continuity of care for children who depend on CCS.
There was no opposition testimony in committee and no Department of Finance file beyond the cost estimate referenced in the bill analysis. The committee adopted a due-pass motion to the Senate floor; the vote on the measure was reported as 5 yes to 0 no, with the roll left open for absent members.
AB 870 now goes to the Senate floor for further consideration.
