BILL NUMBER: AB 1644INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Medina FEBRUARY 11, 2014 An act to amend Section 14124.23 of, and to add Section 14124.27 to, the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to Medi-Cal. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1644, as introduced, Medina. Medi-Cal: Drug Medi-Cal Program providers. Existing law provides for the Drug Medi-Cal (DMC) Treatment Program, under which counties enter into contracts with the State Department of Health Care Services for providing various drug treatment services to Medi-Cal recipients, or the department directly contracts for those services if a county elects not to do so. This bill would require a county or the department, before contracting with a certified DMC provider, to obtain criminal background information to determine if the owner has been convicted of a felony or a crime involving fraud and to request subsequent arrest notification for those crimes. The bill would also limit the term of contracts with DMC providers to a maximum of 2 years. 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 14124.23 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read: 14124.23. (a) The department may enter into contracts for the procurement of services to assist the department in administering the Drug Medi-Cal Treatment Program. (b) In no case shall a contract with a Drug Medi-Cal Treatment Program provider be for a term exceeding two years. SEC. 2. Section 14124.27 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read: 14124.27. (a) A county or the department, before contracting with a certified Drug Medi-Cal (DMC) provider, shall obtain state summary criminal history information from the Department of Justice for the DMC provider's owner to determine if the owner has been convicted of a felony or any other crime involving fraud. (b) The owner of the DMC provider shall submit fingerprint images and related information to the Department of Justice for purposes of obtaining information as to the existence and content of a record of state or federal convictions, and state or federal arrests for which the Department of Justice establishes that the person is free on bail or on his or her own recognizance pending trial or appeal. The Department of Justice shall review the available information and compile and disseminate a response to the county or the department, as appropriate, pursuant to Section 11105 of the Penal Code. (c) The county or department contracting with the DMC provider shall request subsequent arrest notification service from the Department of Justice, as provided under Section 11105.2 of the Penal Code, for the owner of the DMC provider for felonies and crimes involving fraud.