Assembly committee advances SB 81 to limit immigration enforcement in nonpublic areas of health facilities

Senators and Assembly members on the California State Assembly Health Committee advanced SB 81 on a party-line motion after extended testimony and committee discussion.

SB 81 would require health care providers to establish nonpublic areas in their facilities and prohibit immigration enforcement from entering those areas without a valid judicial warrant or court order. The bill also would recognize immigration status and place of birth as part of confidential medical records and limit disclosure of that information to federal immigration authorities except pursuant to valid judicial process.

The bill’s author (listed in the hearing as “Senator Adegan”) said the measure builds on the California Values Act and on model policy guidance provided by the Attorney General’s office. She told the committee the bill is aimed at ensuring “health spaces remain safe spaces” and that the legislation includes an urgency clause. Supporters included SEIU‑UHW certified nursing assistant Mike Yvonne, who said immigration enforcement at hospitals and clinics produces a chilling effect that discourages patients, including those with chronic conditions, from seeking care. Mar Velez, director of policy for the Latino Coalition for Healthy California, described higher rates of appointment cancellations and said SB 81 would protect access to life‑saving care for immigrant communities.

A large group of unions, provider associations and immigrant‑rights organizations registered support during the hearing, including the California Nurses Association, the California Hospital Association, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, Children Now, the California Federation of Labor and the California Immigrant Policy Center. Several committee members voiced support in debate, calling the bill timely given recent increases in federal immigration enforcement activity.

Committee members asked about implementation and enforcement. The author and her staff told the committee they worked with Department of Justice staff and legal experts to shape the bill and that existing case law—cited in the hearing as Schulman v. Group W Productions (1998)—already recognizes a privacy interest in health care treatment areas. The author said enforcement mechanisms and precise definitions of covered providers would be further refined as the bill moves through the process.

The committee recorded a motion to move SB 81 (motion made by Assembly member Carrillo and seconded by Assembly member El Hawari in the hearing). The clerk called the roll and members recorded votes; the motion was recorded as due passed to the next committee (privacy and consumer protection/appropriations as reflected on the hearing calendar). The roll call in the transcript notes at least one recorded “no” vote (Assembly member Sanchez) and otherwise lists members as voting “I”/aye. The transcript does not include a full numeric tally in a single consolidated line, so exact counts are not specified in the record provided.

The author closed by asking for an I vote and said the bill is part of a package of measures to protect immigrants. The committee chair moved to the next agenda item after the clerk completed the roll call.

SB 81 now heads to the committee specified on the record for further consideration and drafting of enforcement provisions and definitions of covered providers.