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ADVOCACY RESOURCES

WHAT'S NEW IN FEBRUARY

CEO MESSAGE

As February rolls into Sacramento, legislators and staff are busy finalizing their bill packages. As Sarah Bridge reported in December, new rules adopted this session lowered the bill introduction limit for each lawmaker from 50 to 35 bills in the Assembly and from 40 to 35 bills in the Senate. The last day for bills to be introduced is February 21^st. Many bills are still in “spot” form at this stage, but ACHD is currently monitoring bill proposals and assessing their impact on healthcare districts. Once we position on 2025-26 legislative proposals, our website will be updated, and you can track our positions in real time.

On the seismic front, if you are hospital-based district, on February 20^th, HCAI will be hosting a webinar on the Small and Rural Hospital Relief Program. You can register for the webinar here.

If you missed our Call for Proposals for ACHD's 2025 Annual Meeting last week, we are now accepting proposals for both general sessions and our wildly popular District Best Practices breakout sessions. ACHD’s 73^rd Annual Conference is being hosted at the beautiful and newly remodeled Sheraton San Diego Resort, September 24-26. Registration for the event will start in late May and we will keep you updated as we get closer regarding keynote speakers and other important updates.

The ACHD Board of Directors meets later this month to chart the course for the next three years. The 2025-28 Strategic Plan will establish our priorities for the future and connect those priorities to our decision making with regard to operations and funding. It is intended to be our roadmap for success in the coming years as we build upon the foundation that we have created over the last three years. As always, if you have feedback for the Association regarding our strategic priorities, please feel free to reach out to me directly. 

With gratitude,

Governor Newsom’s Proposed Trailer Bill Language:

This week, the Governor’s office posted their proposed Trailer Bill Language on the Department of Finance's website. The language, posted by issue area, is a starting point for discussions on policy proposals in the 2025-26 January budget. The Senate and Assembly budget subcommittees and advocates will debate the proposed policies in upcoming hearings through March and April as part of the budget process.

It is important to note that changes at the federal level will have a significant impact on California’s budget, particularly as it relates to our Medicaid program. Medi-Cal, relies heavily on federal funding, which accounts for more than half of the over $190 billion total program budget for 2025-26. Any changes at the federal level will have substantial financial implications to the state as they work to maintain coverage, reimbursement rates for providers and the scope of services provided to vulnerable Californians.

Legislature:

The bill introduction deadline is February 21, 2025. ACHD is in the process of reviewing bills as they are introduced and working on several measures not yet introduced. Expect more detailed updates on bills in next month’s addition of the Advocate.

As a reminder, both the Senate and Assembly have reduced their bill limits to just 35 bills per member. Further, we know that the ongoing emergency in Los Angeles is taking priority from both a budgetary and legislative perspective. We anticipate interesting and significant policy shifts from previous years due to the federal politics, fires, and budgetary limitations.