A New Year Means New Laws for the Disability Community

By Teresa Anderson, Public Policy Director, The Arc/UCP California Collaboration

On January 1, 2023, many important pieces of legislation from the 2021-2022 legislative session became law. Below are just a few of the new laws that could have an impact on the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families, and support services. It is worth noting that several other important bills, like SB 882 Law Enforcement Advisory Council, also became law but they have a delayed implementation date so we will update everyone as they begin implementation. To read the new laws in their entirety or see other bills that also became effective January 1^st visit https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.

• AB 2645 Local Emergency Plan: Integration of Access and Functional Needs: Community Resilience Centers — Requires counties to among other provisions, integrate access and functional needs into its emergency plan upon the plan’s next update, address specific additional plan elements, as well as integrate evacuation and transportation plans to account for local community resilience centers.

• AB 1663 Protective Proceedings — Establishes Probate Conservatorship Reform and Supported Decision-Making Act, makes changes to probate conservatorship laws and codifies Supported Decision-Making.

• AB 1720 Care Facilities: Criminal Background Checks — Authorizes the Department of Social Services to grant a simplified criminal record exemption to an applicant for a license or special permit to operate or manage specified facilities and the specified individuals connected with these facilities, if certain criteria is met.

• AB 2145 Dental Services: Long-Term Care Facilities — Authorizes a registered dental hygienist in alternative practice to provide dental hygiene services to a patient in a long-term care facility, as well as oral health in-service training to staff in a long-term health care facility.

• AB 1810 Pupil Health: Seizure Disorders — Among other provisions, if a pupil diagnosed with seizures, a seizure disorder, or epilepsy has been prescribed an emergency anti-seizure medication, authorizes the pupil’s local educational agency, upon receipt of a request from the pupil’s parent or guardian, to designate one or more volunteers at the pupil’s school to receive initial and annual refresher training regarding the emergency use of anti-seizure medication.

• SB 1016 Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder — Require the state board to include “fetal alcohol spectrum disorder” in the definition of “other health impairment”