On behalf of its more than 50,000 members, the California Medical Association (CMA) extends its deep gratitude to Sen. Angelique Ashby, Sen. Josh Becker, Assemblymember Marc Berman and Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez for authoring CMA’s priority bills and shepherding them through the Legislature.

Below are the CMA priority bills awaiting Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature:

AB 2164 (Berman) will revise the Medical Board of California’s licensure application by eliminating the obligation for physicians to disclose personal medical information that does not impact their ability to practice medicine. The Medical Board of California endorsed the bill and took independent action to revise its licensure application to reduce the stigma around mental health for physicians. AB 2164 will build upon the medical board’s policy by forbidding the Medical Board of California and the Osteopathic Medical Board of California from asking invasive questions that stigmatize care on licensure applications.

SB 1120 (Becker), the “Physicians Make Decisions Act,” will ensure that physician oversight and patient safety are core components for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care. The bill requires that physicians, not AI, shall be the ones to make final decisions on what kind of treatments patients should receive and strikes a commonsense balance that puts safeguards in place for automated decision tools without discouraging companies from adopting this new technology.

AB 977 (Rodriguez) will ensure parity in penalties for violence committed against health care workers in emergency department settings. Currently, assaults that happen to health care workers inside an emergency department carry lesser penalties than the very same assaults if they happen outside the emergency department. AB 977 will ensure that health care workers are afforded the same protections, whether they are inside a hospital emergency department or elsewhere.

SB 963 (Ashby) will require emergency departments to implement a system for allowing the self-identification of victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. The bill would require the system to meet certain minimum requirements, including, providing patient confidentiality, facilitating immediate interviews with medical personnel, and providing referrals to human trafficking and domestic violence services.

In addition, another important bill awaiting the Governor's signature is AB 3129 by Assemblymember Jim Wood. CMA worked to ensure critical amendments were included in the bill that enhance the Attorney General’s authority to review private equity acquisitions of physician practices. The bill also grants the Attorney General new enforcement powers over violations of the corporate bar.