CA AB 55

enacted

Alternative birth centers: licensing and Medi-Cal reimbursement.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

Description

Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of various types of clinics, including alternative birth centers, by the State Department of Public Health, and makes a violation of those provisions a crime. Existing law defines an alternative birth center as a clinic that is not part of a hospital and that provides comprehensive perinatal services and delivery care to pregnant women who remain less than 24 hours at the facility. Existing law requires a licensed alternative birth center specialty clinic, and a licensed primary care clinic that provides services as an alternative birth center, to meet certain criteria, including, among others, being located in proximity to a facility with the capacity for management of obstetrical and neonatal emergencies, as specified. Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law sets forth certain criteria for Medi-Cal reimbursement to alternative birth centers for facility-related delivery costs. Under existing law, as a criterion under both the licensing provisions and the Medi-Cal reimbursement provisions described above, the facility is required to be a provider of comprehensive perinatal services as defined in the Medi-Cal provisions. This bill would remove, under both sets of criteria, the certification condition of being a provider of comprehensive perinatal services as defined in the Medi-Cal provisions. The bill would require the facility to provide perinatal services that are comprehensive in nature, as specified, consistent with certain standards. The bill would remove the above-described proximity requirement and would instead require a written policy for hospital transfer. The bill would require the policy to include certain requirements relating to, among other things, arrangements for the referral of a complication, arrangements for the transfer of care, provision of medical records, information about the estimated transfer time, and a clear explanation of the facility's overall emergency transfer plan, as specified. The bill would also make a technical change to an obsolete reference within a related provision. By creating new requirements for an alternative birth center or a primary care clinic that provides services as an alternative birth center, the violation of which is a crime, the 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.

Introduced: 2025-02-25
Status date: —
Latest action: 2025-10-11 — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 595, Statutes of 2025.
Bill type: bill
Last updated: —

Subjects

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

2024-12-02
Read first time. To print.
reading-1
2024-12-03
From printer. May be heard in committee January 2.
2025-02-03
Referred to Com. on HEALTH.
referral-committee
2025-02-25
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. Read second time and amended.
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-02-26
Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.
referral-committee
2025-04-09
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (April 8).
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee
2025-04-10
Read second time and amended.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2
2025-04-21
Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
referral-committee
2025-04-23
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (April 23).
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-04-24
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-04-28
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 1317.)
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-04-29
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
reading-1,referral-committee
2025-05-07
Referred to Com. on HEALTH.
referral-committee
2025-05-29
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-06-12
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (June 11). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-06-30
In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.
referral-committee
2025-08-29
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 29).
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-08-29
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-09-02
Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-09-03
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-09-08
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 2602.).
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-09-08
In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
2025-09-09
Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 80. Noes 0. Page 3099.).
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-09-16
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
executive-receipt
2025-10-11
Approved by the Governor.
executive-signature
2025-10-11
Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 595, Statutes of 2025.
became-law

Versions

12/02/24 - Introduced — 2024-12-02Compare
02/25/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-02-25Compare
04/10/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-04-10Compare
05/29/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-05-29Compare
09/02/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-09-02Compare
09/11/25 - Enrolled — 2025-09-11Compare
10/11/25 - Chaptered — 2025-10-11Compare
AB55Compare
(document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2025-04-08 · pass · 15-0
Member-level votes (15)
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Krell: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Patel: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Chen: yes
- Addis: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Flora: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Bonta: yes
Do pass.
2025-04-23 · pass · 15-0
Member-level votes (15)
- Pacheco: yes
- Ta: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Hart: yes
- Solache: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Fong: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Tangipa: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Dixon: yes
AB 55 Bonta Assembly Third Reading
2025-04-28 · pass · 75-0
Member-level votes (79)
- Michelle Rodriguez: yes
- Ward: yes
- Patel: yes
- Valencia: yes
- Ransom: yes
- Macedo: yes
- Gipson: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Dixon: yes
- Hoover: yes
- Addis: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Hadwick: yes
- Garcia: yes
- Ta: yes
- Lackey: yes
- Tangipa: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- McKinnor: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Alanis: yes
- Muratsuchi: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Gabriel: yes
- Bennett: yes
- Petrie-Norris: yes
- Schultz: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Quirk-Silva: yes
- Gallagher: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Wallis: yes
- Fong: yes
- Nguyen: yes
- Ahrens: yes
- Davies: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- DeMaio: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Patterson: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Jeff Gonzalez: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Solache: yes
- Soria: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Alvarez: yes
- Irwin: yes
- Haney: yes
- Hart: yes
- Rivas: yes
- Castillo: yes
- Ramos: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Lee: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Ávila Farías: yes
- Bains: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Krell: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Berman: yes
- Chen: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Papan: yes
- Sanchez: other
- Flora: other
- Ellis: other
- Arambula: other
Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar
2025-06-11 · pass · 9-0
Member-level votes (11)
- Valladares: yes
- Limón: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Rubio: yes
- Grove: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Menjivar: yes
- Padilla: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Gonzalez: other
- Weber Pierson: other
Placed on suspense file
2025-06-30 · pass · 6-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Cabaldon: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Dahle: other
Do pass
2025-08-29 · pass · 7-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Richardson: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Dahle: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
3rd Reading AB55 Bonta et al. By Caballero
2025-09-08 · pass · 39-0
Member-level votes (40)
- Wahab: yes
- Niello: yes
- Jones: yes
- Laird: yes
- Choi: yes
- Rubio: yes
- McGuire: yes
- Cortese: yes
- Ochoa Bogh: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Reyes: yes
- Dahle: yes
- Valladares: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Limón: yes
- McNerney: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Padilla: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Hurtado: yes
- Blakespear: yes
- Menjivar: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Strickland: yes
- Allen: yes
- Arreguín: yes
- Grove: yes
- Pérez: yes
- Archuleta: yes
- Alvarado-Gil: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Gonzalez: yes
- Becker: yes
- Stern: other
AB 55 Bonta Concurrence in Senate Amendments
2025-09-09 · pass · 80-0
Member-level votes (80)
- Addis: yes
- Haney: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Ransom: yes
- Berman: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Alvarez: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Hoover: yes
- Nguyen: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Solache: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- Petrie-Norris: yes
- Gabriel: yes
- Zbur: yes
- DeMaio: yes
- Hadwick: yes
- Irwin: yes
- Tangipa: yes
- Patel: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Johnson: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Gipson: yes
- Hart: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Soria: yes
- Valencia: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Papan: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Jeff Gonzalez: yes
- Alanis: yes
- Patterson: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Davies: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Muratsuchi: yes
- Krell: yes
- Chen: yes
- Quirk-Silva: yes
- Bains: yes
- Michelle Rodriguez: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Bennett: yes
- Ávila Farías: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Lee: yes
- Castillo: yes
- Wallis: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Ta: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- Gallagher: yes
- Ellis: yes
- Macedo: yes
- McKinnor: yes
- Ramos: yes
- Rivas: yes
- Ahrens: yes
- Dixon: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Ward: yes
- Fong: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Schultz: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Lackey: yes
- Flora: yes
- Garcia: yes

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB55

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z

Use this data

Every field on this page is available from the free public API — no key or licence required. Fetch this bill as JSON: GET /api/v1/bills?jurisdiction=CA&identifier=AB 55. See the API docs or the MCP server for AI assistants.

Known limitations

Sponsor party and chamber affiliation are not yet captured by this API.
Committee referrals are not yet captured.

See the methodology page for data sources and limitations.