By For the first time in over a decade, the legislature has passed multiple major nursing home reform bills and Governor Newsom is weighing whether to sign them. Please help support better nursing home care by writing to the governor and urging him to sign SB 650, AB 849 and AB 279.
SB 650 (Stern), the Corporate Transparency in Elder Care Act, is co-sponsored by California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, SEIU, and AARP and would require nursing homes to account for public funds that corporate chains are increasingly diverting from resident care through shadowy side transactions with related parties.
Click here for a sample SB 650 support letter.
AB 849 (Gómez-Reyes), will restore Health and Safety Code Section 1430(b) to provide statutory damages to victims of resident rights violations for each violation they have suffered. A 2020 state Supreme Court decision capped the damages to $500 regardless of the number or severity of the violations. A restored Section 1430(b) is residents’ only hope for receiving justice and ensuring compliance with the rules meant to protect their safety and dignity. AB 849 is sponsored by the California Attorney General.
Click here for a sample AB 849 support letter.
AB 279 (Muratsuchi). Many residents of California skilled nursing facilities (“SNFs”) and intermediate care facilities (“ICFs”) face a terrible prospect in the ongoing COVID pandemic: involuntary transfer to new facilities, sight unseen, far from their families and support networks. AB 279 would prohibit the owner of an ICF or SNF from ceasing to deliver or making significant changes to residential care services, or from transferring a resident to another facility, during the COVID-19 declared state of emergency, except if the owner files for bankruptcy.
Click here for a sample AB 279 letter.
All three bills are essential pieces of the legislature’s 2021 PROTECT Plan, a package of bills aimed at reforming nursing homes to improve state oversight, financial transparency, accountability, and ultimately enhance care for all residents.