Senate BillPassed first houseHealth and Safety
SB 297: Valley Fever Screening and Prevention Act of 2025.
What SB 297 does, verified April 13, 2026
The bill aims to improve public health by raising awareness of valley fever, a disease caused by a fungus that affects the lungs. It requires the state department of public health to annually analyze and identify regions with elevated rates of valley fever and provide local health departments with detailed infection data and screening protocols. The bill also requires local health departments to conduct outreach to health care providers and the general public to raise awareness of valley fever risks and prevention strategies. Additionally, the bill mandates that adult patients in high-incidence regions receive valley fever screening, unless specified circumstances exist. If the screening suggests testing, the health care provider must offer diagnostic testing and care for valley fever management. The bill also prohibits health care providers from being subject to disciplinary action for…
Bill journey
✓IntroducedComplete
✓In CommitteeComplete
✓First Chamber FloorComplete
4Second ChamberCurrent
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: August 29 hearing: Held in committee and under submission. (2025-08-29)Alert me
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| Aug. 29, 2025 | August 29 hearing: Held in committee and under submission. |
| Aug. 20, 2025 | August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file. |
| Aug. 20, 2025 | August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file. |
| Jul. 16, 2025 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (July 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Jul. 07, 2025 | From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD. |
Latest bill textAmended version, July 7, 2025 · 982 words
| Amended IN Assembly July 07, 2025 |
| Amended IN Senate April 10, 2025 |
| Amended IN Senate April 02, 2025 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 297
| Introduced by Senator Hurtado |
February 10, 2025 |
An act to amend Section 122475 of, to add Sections 1316.8 and 1367.57 to, to add the heading of Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 122475) to Part 7.7 of Division 105 of, and to add Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 122480) to Part 7.7 of Division 105 of, the Health and Safety Code, and to add Section 10123.25 to the Insurance Code, and to add Section 14132.13 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to public health.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 297, as amended, Hurtado. Valley Fever Screening and Prevention Act of 2025.
(1) Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health to, among other things, implement and administer various programs relating to public health. Existing law, the Valley Fever Education, Early Diagnosis, and Treatment Act, states the intent of the Legislature to raise awareness of the symptoms, tests, and treatments for valley fever among the general public, primary health care providers, and health care providers who care for persons at higher risk for getting valley fever.
This bill, the Valley Fever Screening and Prevention Act of 2025, would require the department to annually analyze and identify regions with high rates of valley fever using public health surveillance data. department, in consultation with subject matter experts, to the extent feasible and using available data and resources, including public health surveillance data, to annually analyze and identify regions with elevated rates of valley fever. The bill would require the department to publish its first list of high-incidence regions for valley fever on or before March 1, 2027. The bill would require the department to provide local health departments in high-incidence regions with detailed infection data and standardized screening protocols that align with the current national clinical practice recommendations for valley fever. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2030, and every 2 years thereafter, to evaluate the effectiveness of the valley fever screening and prevention program and report its findings to the Legislature.
This bill would require local health departments in high-incidence areas to conduct outreach to health care providers and the general public to raise awareness of valley fever risks, symptoms, and prevention strategies. The bill would require local health departments to annually report the number of confirmed cases of valley fever to the department, as specified. By imposing duties on local health departments, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
(2) Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health facilities and clinics by the State Department of Public Health. A violation of these provisions is a crime.
This bill, commencing January 1, 2028, would require an adult patient receiving primary care services in a facility, clinic, unlicensed clinic, center, office, or other setting, and in a high-incidence region for valley fever, to be offered a valley fever screening test, as specified. screened for valley fever, to the extent the services are covered under the patient’s health insurance, unless specified circumstances exist. If the results of a screening suggest that testing should be considered, the bill would require the health care provider to offer the patient diagnostic testing. If the test result is positive, the health care provider shall offer care, as specified, for valley fever management. The bill would prohibit a health care provider who fails to comply with these provisions who, based on their professional judgment, determines it is not appropriate to screen, offer to screen, or consider or offer a patient testing for valley fever from being subject to any disciplinary action related to their licensure or certification, or to any civil or criminal liability for that failure. licensure, certification, or privileges in relation to that determination. The bill would also prohibit a violation of these provisions from being the basis of civil or criminal liability.
By expanding the scope of a crime applicable to the health care settings described above, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
(3)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. Existing law,
(3) Existing law,
the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care, and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. This bill would require prohibit a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy, except as specified, that is issued, amended, delivered, or renewed on or after June 1, 2027, to cover, without cost sharing, from imposing a deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or other requirement on a valley fever screening or test, as specified, in high-incidence regions for valley fever, as identified by the State Department of Public Health. fever. Because a violation of this requirement relative to health care service plans would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The bill would add the aforementioned screening tests as a Medi-Cal covered benefit, subject to any necessary federal approvals and federal financial participation, as specified.
(4) 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Text of SB 297 as amended, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions