AB 1166 allows the wishes of those living in hospice at the end of their lives to be honored. This bill authorizes Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs) and Adult Residential Facilities (ARFs) to call a registered Hospice Team who know how to treat the patient’s illness, rather than 9-1-1 services who do not know the status of the terminally-ill patient. This bill will ensure that an individual’s wishes at the end of life are honored, while they are being given quality care from a health care professional. This bill was signed into law as Chapter 312, Statutes of 2003.

AB 1168 protects the lower Albion and Gualala Rivers from new diversions intended to export water out of the region. The Albion and Gualala Rivers are places of extreme beauty and are often described as recreational paradises. The Wild and Scenic designation is critical to sustaining the wildlife in the rivers and the local economy. Recreation in the area is an economic stimulator of the North Coast. This bill was signed into law as Chapter 117, Statutes of 2003.

AB 1172 establishes a Joint Powers Agreement between Del Norte County, Crescent City, and the Elk Valley Rancheria to partner and create a much-needed wastewater management facility. This facility is required for the City and County to witness any growth in the near future. With the wastewater management facility, the City and County will be able to build homes, community centers, restaurants, and tourist attraction to revitalize the local economy. This bill was signed and chaptered into law as Chapter 39, Statutes of 2003.

AB 1201 protects California’s most medically-fragile population -- children and seniors who require mechanical ventilation and tracheotomy care. This bill establishes appeal rights for patients and hospitals in the event of the closure of a hospital’s sub-acute care unit. It allows the patient to stay in a sub-acute unit until they find a proper transfer, instead of frantically transferring them to a far-away unit with proper medical care. This bill was chaptered into law as Chapter 443, Statutes of 2003.

AB 1220 establishes the Stroke and Heart Disease Task Force within the Department of Health Services to create a Stroke and Heart Disease Master Plan in California. The Master Plan will make California eligible for one million dollars per year in federal funds. This bill was signed into law as Chapter 395, Statutes of 2003.

AB 1296 prohibits the taking of krill for any public purpose except for scientific research. Krill is one of the major components of the food chain, and without it, sea birds, fish and marine mammals would be unable to survive. This bill ensures the continued health and diversity of California’s waters. This bill is quite timely, as the business of feeding krill to farm-raised salmon is becoming common in fishing world. This bill was signed into law as Chapter 218, Statutes of 2003.

AB 1354 establishes a program to allow California fishermen to participate in any federally established buy-back program for the Pacific groundfish fishery. This is a technical issue that conforms state law into federal law. This bill was chaptered into law as Chapter 514, Statutes of 2003.

AB 1538 requires contractors to display their contractor license number on cars registered via their business. This bill will make it easier for staff at the Department of Industrial Relations to identify which contractors are on a construction site, and they will be able to respond to wage and safety violation complaints in a timely manner. This bill was chaptered into law as Chapter 118, Statutes of 2003.

ACR 93 states May 2003 as American Stroke month in the State of California. The bill was chaptered into law as Resolution Chapter 46, Statues of 2003.

ACR 94 recognizes May 2003 as Older Americans month in the State of California. The bill was chaptered into law as Resolution Chapter 47, Statues of 2003.

ACR 136 declares September 7th through 13th as Assisted Living week. The bill was chaptered into law as Resolution Chapter 151, Statues of 2003.