CaliforniaClinic corporations may add primary care sites and mobile units
The enacted measure lets qualifying clinic corporations apply to add primary care sites or mobile units, and lets qualifying clinics apply to move.
What it does
A clinic corporation may use the affiliate application to add a primary care site or mobile unit through any of its qualifying clinic locations. The department must approve the license without an initial onsite survey only if the clinics meet the shared ownership, leadership, and other requirements.
A primary care clinic that meets the five-year licensing and patient-safety requirements may apply to move using the affiliate clinic form. The department may approve the move without first visiting the site, but it may still inspect.
Before closing a parent clinic, a clinic corporation must ask the department to approve another qualifying clinic as the parent. The department must approve if the new parent meets the requirements and must accept information already on file unless it has changed.
When information filed for a clinic under this section changes, the clinic must report the update on a form provided by the department.
Argument forEligible clinic corporations could add a site or mobile unit without waiting for an initial onsite survey, which may bring primary care closer to some patients.
Argument againstPatients may have less assurance before an affiliate clinic opens because the department can approve its license without first visiting the site.
More detail
A clinic corporation may apply to open another primary care site or mobile health care unit through the affiliate clinic process. The application may cover an additional primary care clinic site or a mobile health care unit. The qualifying primary care clinic must have held a valid license for at least five years, have no demonstrated history of repeated or uncorrected violations that put patients in immediate danger, and face no pending action to suspend or revoke its license. The application must be signed by a board officer, chief executive officer, or executive director. The parent and affiliate must share corporate officers, nonprofit ownership and board, medical leadership, and medical policies and procedures. The parent cannot itself be an affiliate clinic. If all conditions are met, the department must approve the license without first conducting an onsite survey. The department may still inspect the clinic. The department must issue a license within 30 days after receiving a complete application. If it approves the application, it must issue the license within seven days of approval.
A qualifying primary care clinic may apply to change its location using the affiliate clinic application. The department may approve the application and issue an updated license without first conducting an onsite survey. This option applies to a primary care clinic seeking to change its location. The clinic must have held a valid license for at least five years, have no demonstrated history of repeated or uncorrected violations that put patients in immediate danger, and face no pending action to suspend or revoke its license. The department may approve the application; approval is not guaranteed. The department may still inspect the clinic. After receiving a complete application and fee, the department may approve the application under the timelines for this section: within 30 days of receipt, with an updated license issued within seven days after approval.
Before a parent clinic closes, its clinic corporation must ask the department to establish another primary care clinic as the parent. This applies when a clinic corporation plans to close a parent clinic and establish another primary care clinic as the parent. The replacement clinic must meet the five-year licensing, patient-safety, and no-pending-suspension requirements, as well as the shared corporate and clinic requirements for a parent clinic. The department may not require the corporation to resubmit information or materials in its corporate file unless they have changed. The corporation must submit the request before the parent clinic closes. The department must act within 30 days of receiving a complete request and issue a license within seven days after approval.
A clinic must report changes to information it provided under this section on forms supplied by the department. This applies to changes in information provided to the department for a clinic under this section.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed Assembly
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Sep 27Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 491, Statutes of 2026.Latest
- Sep 27Approved by the Governor Gavin Newsom.Became Law
- Sep 4Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.To Governor
- Aug 28Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 39. Noes 0.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.Major
- Vote recorded Unfinished Business SB526 Pérez Concurrence. Result: pass.Upper
- Aug 27From committee: That the Assembly amendments be concurred in. (Ayes 9. Noes 0. Page 6046.)Minor
- Vote recorded That the Assembly amendments be concurred in. Result: pass.Upper
- Aug 25From committee: Be re-referred to Com. on HEALTH pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10(d). (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 5725.) Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.Minor
- Aug 25Re-referred to Com. on RLS. pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10(d).Minor
- Aug 24In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
- Vote recorded SB 526 Pérez Senate Third Reading By Aguiar-Curry. Result: pass.Lower
- Aug 24Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 62. Noes 8. Page 6386.) Ordered to the Senate.Passed Assembly
- Aug 19Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Aug 19Read third time and amended.Major
- Aug 13Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Vote recorded Do pass. Result: pass.Lower
- Aug 13From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 2.) (August 13).Minor
- Aug 13Assembly Rule 63 suspended.
- Aug 5August 5 set for first hearing. Placed on suspense file.
- Jul 1From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 12. Noes 2.) (June 30). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Jun 30
- Vote recorded Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Lower
- Jun 15Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH pursuant to Assembly Rule 96.Minor
- Jun 11From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on NAT. RES.Major
- 2025
- Jun 16Referred to Com. on NAT. RES.Minor
- Jun 5In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.Minor
- Jun 4Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 25. Noes 10. Page 1494.) Ordered to the Assembly.Passed Senate
- Vote recorded 3rd Reading SB526 Menjivar et al. Result: pass.Upper
- Jun 4Amendments by Senator Strickland tabled on motion of Senator Gonzalez. (Ayes 29. Noes 10. Page 1494.)
- May 23Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Vote recorded Do pass. Result: pass.Upper
- May 23From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 1. Page 1203.) (May 23).Minor
- May 16Set for hearing May 23.
- May 12May 12 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
- Vote recorded Placed on suspense file. Result: pass.Upper
- May 2Set for hearing May 12.
- Apr 29Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Major
- Apr 28From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 1. Page 867.) (April 23).Major
- Apr 23
- Vote recorded Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Upper
- Apr 2Set for hearing April 23.
- Mar 28April 2 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
- Mar 11Set for hearing April 2.
- Mar 5Referred to Com. on E.Q.Minor
- Feb 21From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 23.
- Feb 20Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.Introduced
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