By AB 979 modernizes existing family council laws, so that members can meet and communicate electronically and continue to operate during a public health emergency. The bill ensures that facilities will be more responsive to concerns raised by family councils, discourages operators from undermining family council activities, and clarifies that control of the family council membership and participation in meetings lies with the family council itself. AB 979 also harmonizes family council protections in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, which is long overdue.
AB 48 (Aguiar-Curry): Nursing Facility Resident Informed Consent Protection Act of 2023
Despite dangerous side effects, condemnation by care providers, and a decade-long national and state campaign to reduce the inappropriate use of psychotropic drugs in nursing homes, the U.S. Office of Inspector General recently found that 80% of long-stay nursing home residents are receiving psychotropic drugs. A big reason why so many residents are drugged is that they are never given information about the risks, benefits, and alternatives to psychotropic drugs and the choice to refuse them. AB 48 will better ensure that residents are given the right information and meaningful choice.
AB 1309 (Gómez Reyes): Nursing Home Eviction Protection
AB 1309 would require nursing homes to include the same level of detail to justify a resident eviction that is required of RCFEs. Requiring this additional information will enable residents to better defend against inappropriate and unsafe evictions on appeal. Nursing homes are already required to comprehensively document their basis for evicting residents; AB 1309 requires that the facilities share some of this information with the residents.