AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 24, 2018
AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 6, 2018
AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 26, 2018
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 23, 2018
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION
93
CHAPTER 587
Statutes of 2018
[ Approved by Governor September 20, 2018. Filed with Secretary of State September 20, 2018. ]
Introduced by Assembly Member O’Donnell
February 15, 2018
An act to add Section 1275.8 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to health facilities.
Vote: majority Appropriation: no Fiscal committee: yes Local program: yes
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health facilities, including general acute care hospitals and acute psychiatric hospitals, by the State Department of Public Health. Existing regulations prescribe specified processes and methods by which general acute care hospitals and acute psychiatric hospitals are required to launder the linens used at those facilities. A violation of these provisions is a crime.
This bill would, on or before January 1, 2020, require each general acute care hospital and acute psychiatric hospital, including those facilities that use a medical laundry service provider, to adopt and implement a linen laundry processing policy that is consistent and in accordance with the most recent infection control guidelines and standards developed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares both of the following:
(a) Significant advances have been made in the technologies and detergents used in laundry processes, which reduce the amount of time, energy, and water that are necessary to hygienically clean linens used at health facilities. The State of California has embraced numerous energy and water savings policies that can be achieved, in part, by more efficient commercial laundry processes.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature by enacting this act to allow for more energy and water efficient processes to be used in the processing of hygienically clean linens used at health facilities.
SEC. 2.
Section 1275.8 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:
1275.8.
(a) On or before January 1, 2020, each general acute care hospital, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 1250, and acute psychiatric hospital, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 1250, shall adopt and implement a linen laundry processing policy that is consistent and in accordance with the most recent infection control guidelines and standards developed by the following:
(1) The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(2) The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
(b) A general acute care hospital and an acute psychiatric hospital that uses a medical laundry service provider shall comply with the requirements of subdivision (a).
SEC. 3.
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIIIB of the California Constitution.