BILL NUMBER: SB 154INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Senator Berryhill JANUARY 31, 2013 An act to amend Section 1501 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to community care facilities. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 154, as introduced, Berryhill. Community care facilities. Existing law, the California Community Care Facilities Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of community care facilities by the State Department of Social Services. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these provisions. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 1501 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read: 1501. (a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that there is an urgent need to establish a coordinated and comprehensive statewide service system of quality community care for mentally ill, developmentally and physically disabled, and children and adults who require care or services by a facility or organization issued a license or special permit pursuant to this chapter. (b) Therefore, the Legislature declares it is the intent of the state to develop policies and programs designed to: (1)insureensure a level of care and services in the community which is equal to or better than that provided by the state hospitals; (2)assureensure that all people who require them are provided with the appropriate range of social rehabilitative, habilitative and treatment services, including residential and nonresidential programs tailored to their needs; (3) protect the legal and human rights of a person in or receiving services from a community care facility; (4)insureensure continuity of care between the medical-health elements and the supportive care-rehabilitation elements of California's health systems; (5)insureensure that facilities providing community care are adequate, safe and sanitary; (6)assureensure that rehabilitative and treatment services are provided at a reasonable cost; (7)assureensure that state payments for community care services are based on a flexible rate schedule varying according to type and cost of care and services provided; (8) encourage the utilization of personnel from state hospitals and the development of training programs to improve the quality of staff in community care facilities; and (9)insureensure the quality of community care facilities by evaluating the care and services provided and furnishing incentives to upgrade their quality.