Article 1 - Regional Center Contracts

California Welfare and Institutions Code — §§ 4620-4639.76

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Sections (36)

Amended by Stats. 1992, Ch. 1011, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 1993.

(a)In order for the state to carry out many of its responsibilities as established in this division, the state shall contract with appropriate agencies to provide fixed points of contact in the community for persons with developmental disabilities and their families, to the end that these persons may have access to the services and supports best suited to them throughout their lifetime. It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this division that the network of regional centers for persons with developmental disabilities and their

families be accessible to every family in need of regional center services. It is the further intent of the Legislature that the design and activities of regional centers reflect a strong commitment to the delivery of direct service coordination and that all other operational expenditures of regional centers are necessary to support and enhance the delivery of direct service coordination and services and supports identified in individual program plans.

(b)The Legislature finds that the service provided to individuals and their families by regional centers is of such a special and unique nature that it cannot be satisfactorily provided by state agencies. Therefore, private nonprofit community agencies shall be utilized by the state for the purpose of operating regional centers.

§ 4620.1

Added by Stats. 1992, Ch. 1011, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 1993.

The Legislature recognizes the ongoing contributions many parents and family members make to the support and well-being of their children and relatives with developmental disabilities. It is the intent of the Legislature that the important nature of these relationships be respected and fostered by regional centers and providers of direct services and supports.

§ 4620.2

Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 230, Sec. 47. Effective August 11, 2003.

(a)The State Department of Developmental Services, after consultation with stakeholder groups, shall develop a system of enrollment fees, copayments, or both, to be assessed against the parents of each child between the ages of three and 17 years who lives in the parent’s home and receives services purchased through a regional center. This system shall be submitted to the Legislature on or before April 1, 2004, immediately prior to the fiscal year in which the system is to be implemented, and as a part of the Governor’s proposed 2004–05

budget or subsequent legislation.

(b)The department, after consultation with stakeholder groups, shall submit a detailed plan for implementing a parental copayment system for children receiving services purchased through a regional center. This plan shall be submitted to the Legislature by April 1, 2004.

(c)The plan submitted on or before April 1, 2004, pursuant to subdivision (b), and any resources requested in the 2004–05 Governor’s Budget and related authority may be subsequently modified during the legislative review process.

(d)The parental copayment system shall only be applicable to families that have adjusted gross family incomes of over 200 percent of the federal poverty level and that have a child who meets all of the following criteria:

(1)The child is receiving services purchased through a regional center.

(2)The child is living at home.

(3)The child is not otherwise eligible to receive services provided under the Medi-Cal program.

(4)The child is at least three years of age and not more than 17 years of age.

(e)The department’s plan shall address, at a minimum all of the following components for the development of a parental copayment system:

(1)Description of the families and children affected, including those families with more than one child as described under subdivision (d).

(2)Privacy issues and potential safeguards regarding the

families’ income, the children’s regional center clinical records, and related matters.

(3)Schedule of parental copayments and any other related assessments, and criteria or service thresholds for which these copayments and assessments are based.

(4)The options for a sliding scale for the schedule of parental copayments based on family income and family size.

(5)Proposed limits on parental cost sharing.

(6)An exemption process for families who are experiencing financial hardships and may need deferral or waiver of any copayments or assessments.

(7)An appeal process for families who may dispute the level of copayment or assessments for which they are billed.

(8)The specific methods and processes to be used by the department, regional centers, or other responsible party, for the collection of all parental copayments and assessments.

(9)Any potentials for the disruption of services to applicable regional center consumers due to the implementation of a parental copayment system.

(10)The estimated amount of revenues to be collected and any applicable assumptions made for making this determination.

(11)Any estimate related to a slowing of the trend in the growth for regional center services due to the implementation of a parental copayment system.

(12)A comparison to how the State Department of Health Services and other state agencies utilize

personal information to manage the delivery of benefits and assessment of copayments.

(13)A recommendation on whether the parental copayment system should be centralized at the department or decentralized in the regional centers and the basis for this recommendation.

(14)The estimated cost for implementing a parental copayment system, including any costs associated with consultant contracts, state personnel, revenue collection, computer system processing, regional center operations, or any other cost factor that would need to be included in order to capture all estimated costs for implementation.

(15)The timeframe for which the parental copayment system is to be implemented.

(f)(1) In order for the department to develop a

detailed plan for the implementation of a parental copayment system, the department shall collect information from selected families. In order to be cost efficient and prudent regarding the collection of information, the department may conduct a survey of only those families known to have children not eligible for the Medi-Cal program. The survey instrument may only be used for the sole purpose of obtaining information that is deemed necessary for the development of a parental copayment system, including the following:

(A) A family’s annual adjusted gross family income.

(B) The number of family members dependent on that income.

(2)Results of the survey in the aggregate shall

be provided to the Legislature as part of the department’s plan as required by subdivision (a).

§ 4620.3

Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 12, Sec. 5. (AB 143) Effective June 27, 2025.

(a)To provide more uniformity and consistency in the administrative practices and services of regional centers throughout the state, promote appropriateness of services, maximize efficiency of funding, address the state budget deficit, ensure consistency with Lanterman Act values, maintain the entitlement to services, and improve cost-effectiveness, the department, in collaboration with stakeholders, shall develop best practices for the administrative management of regional centers and for regional centers to use when purchasing services for consumers and families.

(b)In developing regional center administrative management best practices, the department shall consider the establishment of policies and procedures to ensure prudent fiscal and program management

by regional centers; effective and efficient use of public resources; consistent practices to maximize the use of federal funds; detection and prevention of fraud, waste, and abuse; and proper contracting protocols.

(c)In developing purchase of services best practices, the department shall consider eligibility for the service; duration of service necessary to meet objectives set in an individual program plan; frequency and efficacy of the service necessary to meet objectives in an individual program plan; impact on community integration; service providers’ qualifications and performance; rates; parental and consumer responsibilities pursuant to Sections 4646.4, 4659, and 4677 of this code and Section 95004 of the Government Code; and self-directed service options.

(d)The department shall ensure that implementation of best practices that impact individual services and supports are made through the individual program planning process provided for in this division or an individualized family service plan pursuant to Section 95020 of the Government Code, and that consumers and families are notified of any exceptions or exemptions to the best practices and their appeal rights established in Section 4701.

(e)Purchase of services best practices developed pursuant to this section may vary by service category and may do all of the following:

(1)Establish criteria determining the type, scope, amount, duration, location, and intensity of services and supports purchased by regional centers for consumers and their families.

(2)Modify payment rates.

(3)Reflect family and consumer responsibilities, pursuant to Sections 4646.4, 4659, and 4677 of this code and Section 95004 of the Government Code.

(f)Purchase of services best practices shall include provisions for exceptions to ensure the health and safety of the consumer or to avoid out-of-home placement or institutionalization.

(g)Best practices developed pursuant to this section shall not do either of the following:

(1)Endanger a consumer’s health or safety.

(2)Compromise the state’s ability to meet its commitments to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for participation in the Home and Community-Based Services Waiver or other federal funding of

services for persons with developmental disabilities.

(h)The department shall submit the proposed best practices to the fiscal and applicable policy committees of the Legislature by no later than May 15, 2011. This submission shall include a description of the process followed to collaborate with system stakeholders; the anticipated impact of the best practices, coupled with prior reductions on consumers, families, and providers; estimated cost savings associated with each practice; and draft statutory language necessary to implement the best practices. Implementation of the best practices shall take effect only upon subsequent legislative enactment.

§ 4620.4

Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 12, Sec. 6. (AB 143) Effective June 27, 2025.

(a)(1) The Legislature finds and declares that more than a quarter of Californians are foreign born, and more than 10 percent of the state’s population speaks English “not well” or “not at all.” Access to accurate, timely, understandable, and culturally sensitive and competent information and referral services for these communities is a critical need. A review of 2018-19 purchase of service expenditures reflects the following average per capita expenditures for all age groups by ethnicity, illustrating existing disparity gaps in the developmental services system:

(A) Twenty-seven thousand nine hundred thirty-one dollars ($27,931) for individuals who are White.

(B) Twenty-two

thousand nine hundred fourteen dollars ($22,914) for individuals who are Black or African American.

(D) Eleven thousand seven hundred sixty dollars ($11,760) for individuals who are Latinx or Hispanic.

(2)Language access and culturally competent services are critical components to advance health and human services equity and improve outcomes for all Californians served under the Lanterman Act.

(b)The State Department of Developmental Services shall administer an enhanced language access and cultural competency initiative for individuals with developmental disabilities, their caregivers, and their family members. The department shall require regional centers

to implement this initiative through its contracts pursuant to Section 4640.6. The primary goal is to improve quality and facilitate more consistent access to information and services.

(c)Allowable uses of the funds provided to regional centers include, but are not limited to, all of the following:

(1)Identification of vital documents and internet website content for translation, as well as points of public contact in need of oral and sign language interpretation services.

(2)Orientations and specialized group and family information sessions with ample and publicized question and answer periods, scheduled at times considered most convenient for working families and in consultation with community leaders.

(3)Regular and periodic language needs

assessments to determine threshold languages for document translation.

(4)Coordination and streamlining of interpretation and translation services.

(5)Implementation of quality control measures to ensure the availability, accuracy, readability, and cultural appropriateness of translations.

(d)The use of these funds shall not supplant any existing efforts or funds for similar purposes, but are intended to augment and provide maximum additional benefit to the greatest number of persons served, their caregivers, and their families.

(e)The department shall report annually, beginning January 10, 2022, as part of the Governor’s Budget and the May Revision, how these funds are being utilized and what remaining needs for language access and culturally

competent services are identified by people served, the community, and regional centers as the initiative implements.

(f)Subject to an appropriation by the Legislature, regional centers shall receive specialized funding allocations to facilitate applications for payments authorized to protect the health and safety of consumers, pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 4681.6, for non-English-speaking individuals served. Funded activities shall include specialized outreach and case management services toward identifying

which individuals might have an unaddressed need for a health and safety waiver and assisting with guiding individuals through the application process to meet those needs. Regional centers shall track the number of individuals served through this effort and provide this information to the department on at least an annual basis.

§ 4620.5

Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 76, Sec. 27. (AB 136) Effective July 16, 2021.

(a)Beginning as early as possible after July 1, 2021, but no later than September 1, 2021, the department shall convene a workgroup, which shall be composed of individuals described under subdivision (b), to make recommendations to the department for the development of standard performance improvement indicators and benchmarks to incentivize high-quality regional center operations.

(b)The director shall appoint members to the stakeholder group and shall consider all of the following individuals to serve as members of that group:

(1)Individuals or consultants with expertise in developing performance indicators and incentive programs within developmental disability systems or

community-based long-term services and supports systems.

(2)Consumers and families across different geographic regions of the state, who have diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, diverse consumer age groups, and disabilities.

(3)Regional center representatives.

(4)Service providers.

(5)Representatives of other state agencies or entities with whom the department routinely collaborates for the coordination of services for people with developmental disabilities, and who additionally have expertise in setting or reporting indicators and benchmarks, including reporting to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

(6)Representatives of California’s University Centers for

Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, the protection and advocacy agency specified in Division 4.7 (commencing with Section 4900), and consumer and family advocacy groups.

(c)By January 10, 2022, as part of the Governor’s Budget, the department shall provide a status update based on recommendations provided by the stakeholder workgroup, with an additional status update at the time of the Governor’s May Revision. These recommendations may include all of the following:

(1)Priority areas for performance indicators and benchmarks, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

(A)Equity in service access and purchase of services.

(B)Consumer employment and associated metrics.

(C)Integration of consumers in the community.

(D)Person-centered planning.

(E)Compliance with federal home and community-based standards.

(F)Consumer and family experience and satisfaction.

(G)Innovation in service availability and delivery.

(2)Surveys or other measures to assess consumer and family experience, satisfaction, and recommendations, in addition the use of data available through the National Core Indicators.

(3)Benchmarks, and a method for establishing benchmarks, to create meaningful comparisons and understanding of variation in performance

within and between regional centers.

(4)Measures under development or already implemented by federal funding agencies for long-term services and supports, home and community-based services, incentive payments, required reporting, and the efficient and effective implementation of performance improvement systems.

(5)Additional criteria for demonstrating performance improvement, including improvement beyond benchmarks.

(6)The methodology, structure, and types of incentives to be used, including, if appropriate, a payment schedule and implementation timeline, for incentive payments to regional centers to achieve or exceed performance benchmarks. This methodology and structure shall include how the department shall take into consideration variations among regional centers, expectations for regional center community

engagement activities, and any significant demographic, including economic or other differences, impacting a regional center’s performance and how the department might build the identified benchmarks into regional center performance contracts.

(7)A process, based on the input from regional centers and other stakeholders, the department shall use on at least an annual basis to evaluate the success of a quality improvement process, including any incentive payment program.

§ 4621

Added by Stats. 1977, Ch. 1252.

The department, within the limitations of funds appropriated, shall contract with appropriate private nonprofit corporations for the establishment of regional centers.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any contract entered into pursuant to this section may provide for periodic advance payments for services to be performed under such contract. No advance payment made pursuant to this section shall exceed 25 percent of the total annual contract amount.

§ 4621.5

Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 364, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1994.

Notwithstanding subdivision (c) of Section 1 of Chapter 501 of the Statutes of 1971, the department shall, within the limitations of funds appropriated, contract with an appropriate private nonprofit corporation or corporations to operate regional centers as follows:

(a)One regional center to serve the Counties of Inyo, Kern, and Mono.

(b)One regional center to serve the Counties of Riverside and San Bernardino.

§ 4622

Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 28, Sec. 12. (SB 81) Effective June 27, 2019.

The state shall contract only with agencies, the governing boards of which conform to all of the following criteria:

(a)The governing board shall be composed of individuals with demonstrated interest in, or knowledge of, developmental disabilities.

(b)The membership of the governing board shall include persons with legal, management or board governance, financial, and developmental disability program expertise. Board governance expertise may not be acquired solely by serving on a regional center board. The governing board of the regional center shall include members with financial expertise and members with management or board governance expertise by August 15, 2020.

(c)The membership of the governing board shall include representatives of the various categories of disability to be served by the regional center.

(d)The governing board shall reflect the geographic and ethnic characteristics of the area to be served by the regional center.

(e)A minimum of 50 percent of the members of the governing board shall be persons with developmental disabilities or their parents or legal guardians. No less than 25 percent of the members of the governing board shall be persons with developmental disabilities.

(f)Members of the governing board shall not be permitted to serve more than seven years within each eight-year period.

(g)(1) The regional center shall provide necessary training and

support to these board members to facilitate their understanding and participation, including issues relating to linguistic and cultural competency.

(2)As part of its monitoring responsibility, the department shall review and approve the method by which training and support are provided to board members to ensure maximum understanding and participation by board members.

(3)Each regional center shall post on its internet website information regarding the training and support provided to board members.

(h)The governing board may appoint a consumers’ advisory committee composed of persons with developmental disabilities representing the various categories of disability served by the regional center.

(i)The governing board shall appoint an advisory

committee composed of a wide variety of persons representing the various categories of providers from which the regional center purchases client services. The advisory committee shall provide advice, guidance, recommendations, and technical assistance to the regional center board in order to assist the regional center in carrying out its mandated functions. The advisory committee shall designate one of its members to serve as a member of the regional center board.

(j)(1) The governing board shall annually review the performance of the director of the regional center.

(2)The governing board shall annually review the performance of the regional center in providing services that are linguistically and culturally appropriate and may provide recommendations to the director of the regional center based on the results of that review.

(k)No member of the board who is an employee or member of the governing board of a provider from which the regional center purchases client services shall do any of the following:

(1)Serve as an officer of the board.

(2)Vote on any fiscal matter affecting the purchase of services from any regional center provider.

(3)Vote on any issue other than as described in paragraph (2), in which the member has a financial interest, as defined in Section 87103 of the Government Code, and determined by the regional center board. The member shall provide a list of the member’s financial interests, as defined in Section 87103, to the regional center board.

Nothing in this section shall prevent the appointment to a regional

center governing board of a person who meets the criteria for more than one of the categories listed above.

§ 4622.5

Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 28, Sec. 13. (SB 81) Effective June 27, 2019.

By August 15 of each year, the governing board of each regional center shall submit to the department detailed documentation, as determined by the department, demonstrating that the composition of the board is in compliance with Section 4622. If the composition of the governing board is not in compliance with Section 4622, the governing board shall submit a plan to the department with its board composition documentation setting forth how and, in as expeditious a manner as possible, when the board will come into compliance, in part or in whole, with Section 4622.

§ 4623

Added by Stats. 1977, Ch. 1252.

In the event that the governing board of the regional center is not composed of individuals as specified in subdivisions (a) to (f), inclusive, of Section 4622, such governing board shall establish a program policy committee which is composed of such individuals. The program policy committee shall appoint one of its members to serve as an ex officio member of the governing board.

§ 4624

Added by Stats. 1977, Ch. 1252.

When the governing board of the regional center is not composed of individuals as specified in subdivisions (a) to (f), inclusive, of Section 4622, the program policy committee to the regional center shall be responsible for establishing the program policies of the regional center. All program policies adopted by a program policy committee shall conform to the provisions of this division and the contract between the department and the governing board.

§ 4625

Repealed (in Sec. 14) and added by Stats. 1997, Ch. 414, Sec. 14.5. Effective September 22, 1997. Section operative July 1, 1999, by its own provisions.

The department shall not contract with any new regional center contracting agency unless the governing board of the agency is composed of individuals as specified in subdivisions (a) to (f), inclusive, of Section 4622.

This section shall become operative on July 1, 1999.

§ 4625.5

Added by Stats. 2011, Ch. 9, Sec. 3. (SB 74) Effective March 24, 2011.

(a)The governing board of each regional center shall adopt and maintain a written policy requiring the board to review and approve any regional center contract of two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) or more, before entering into the contract.

(b)No regional center contract of two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) or more shall be valid unless approved by the governing board of the

regional center in compliance with its written policy pursuant to subdivision (a).

(c)For purposes of this section, contracts do not include vendor approval letters issued by regional centers pursuant to Section 54322 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations.

§ 4625.6

Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 28, Sec. 14. (SB 81) Effective June 27, 2019.

To ensure the delivery of independent legal advice, an attorney retained or employed by the governing board of the regional center to provide legal services shall not be an employee of the regional center.

§ 4625.7

Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 28, Sec. 15. (SB 81) Effective June 27, 2019.

The governing board of a regional center shall meet with representatives of the department upon a request by the Director of Developmental Services, and, if requested, the board shall exclude regional center employees from the meeting. The governing board shall meet with the department’s representatives without preconditions for the meeting and at a time and date determined by the department. Not infringing on the department’s authority otherwise provided in this section, at the department’s discretion, efforts shall be made to meet with a governing board of a regional center at a mutually agreed-upon time, date, and place, with the goal of promoting attendance by board members.

§ 4626

Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 409, Sec. 39. (AB 1595) Effective January 1, 2015.

(a)The department shall give a very high priority to ensuring that regional center board members and employees act in the course of their duties solely in the best interest of the regional center consumers and their families without regard to the interests of any other organization with which they are associated or persons to whom they are related. Board members, employees, and others acting on the regional center’s behalf, as defined in regulations issued by the department, shall be free from conflicts of interest that could adversely influence their judgment, objectivity, or loyalty to the regional center, its consumers, or its mission.

(b)In order to prevent potential conflicts of interest, a member of the governing

board or member of the program policy committee of a regional center shall not be any of the following:

(1)An employee of the State Department of Developmental Services or any state or local agency that provides services to a regional center consumer, if employed in a capacity which includes administrative or policymaking responsibility, or responsibility for the regulation of the regional center.

(2)An employee or a member of the state council or a state council regional advisory committee.

(3)Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (h) of Section 4622, an employee or member of the governing board of any entity from which the regional center purchases consumer services.

(4)Any person who has a financial interest, as defined in Section 87103 of

the Government Code, in regional center operations, except as a consumer of regional center services.

(c)A person with a developmental disability who receives employment services through a regional center provider shall not be precluded from serving on the governing board of a regional center based solely upon receipt of these employment services.

(d)The department shall ensure that no regional center employee or board member has a conflict of interest with an entity that receives regional center funding, including, but not limited to, a nonprofit housing organization and an organization qualified under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, that actively functions in a supporting relationship to the regional center.

(e)The department shall develop and publish a standard conflict-of-interest reporting

statement. The conflict-of-interest statement shall be completed by each regional center governing board member and each regional center employee specified in regulations, including, at a minimum, the executive director, every administrator, every program director, every service coordinator, and every employee who has decisionmaking or policymaking authority or authority to obligate the regional center’s resources.

(f)Every new regional center governing board member and regional center executive director shall complete and file the conflict-of-interest statement described in subdivision (e) with his or her respective governing board within 30 days of being selected, appointed, or elected. Every new regional center employee referenced in subdivision (e) and every current regional center employee referenced in subdivision (e) accepting a new position within the regional center shall complete and file the conflict-of-interest statement with his

or her respective regional center within 30 days of assuming the position.

(g)Every regional center board member and regional center employee referenced in subdivision (e) shall complete and file the conflict-of-interest statement by August 1 of each year.

(h)Every regional center board member and regional center employee referenced in subdivision (e) shall complete and file a subsequent conflict-of-interest statement upon any change in status that creates a potential or present conflict of interest. For the purposes of this subdivision, a change in status includes, but is not limited to, a change in financial interests, legal commitment, regional center or board position or duties, or both, or outside position or duties, or both, whether compensated or not.

(i)The governing board shall submit a copy of the

completed conflict-of-interest statements of the governing board members and the regional center executive director to the department within 10 days of receipt of the statements.

(j)A person who knowingly provides false information on a conflict-of-interest statement required by this section shall be subject to a civil penalty in an amount up to fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), in addition to any civil remedies available to the department. An action for a civil penalty under this provision may be brought by the department or any public prosecutor in the name of the people of the State of California.

(k)The director of the regional center shall review the conflict-of-interest statement of each regional center employee referenced in subdivision (e) within 10 days of receipt of the statement. If a potential or present conflict of interest is identified for a regional center

employee that cannot be eliminated, the regional center shall, within 30 days of receipt of the statement, submit to the department a copy of the conflict-of-interest statement and a plan that proposes mitigation measures, including timeframes and actions the regional center or the employee, or both, will take to mitigate the conflict of interest.

(l)The department and the regional center governing board shall review the conflict-of-interest statement of the regional center executive director and each regional center board member to ensure that no conflicts of interest exist. If a present or potential conflict of interest is identified for a regional center director or a board member that cannot be eliminated, the regional center governing board shall, within 30 days of receipt of the statement, submit to the department and the state council a copy of the conflict-of-interest statement and a plan that proposes mitigation measures, including

timeframes and actions the regional center governing board or the individual, or both, will take to mitigate the conflict of interest.

§ 4626.5

Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 902, Sec. 4. (AB 1147) Effective January 1, 2025.

Each regional center shall submit a conflict-of-interest policy to the department by July 1, 2011, and shall post the policy on its internet website by August 1, 2011. The policy shall do, or comply with, all of the following:

(a)Contain the elements of this section and be consistent with applicable law.

(b)Define conflicts of interest.

(c)Identify positions within the regional center required to complete and file a conflict-of-interest statement.

(d)Facilitate disclosure of information to identify conflicts of interest.

(e)Require candidates for nomination, election, or appointment to a regional center board, and applicants for regional center director to disclose any potential or present conflicts of interest prior to being appointed, elected, or confirmed for hire by the regional center or the regional center governing board.

(f)Require the regional center and its governing board to regularly and consistently monitor and enforce compliance with its conflict-of-interest policy.

(g)Prohibit a regional center employee from accepting a gift or gifts from a service provider, consumer, or consumer’s family member valued over fifteen dollars ($15) per year.

(h)Establish a policy

prohibiting regional center senior staff from hiring relatives at the center or any ancillary foundation and organization. The policy shall be included in the regional center contract and shall be included in training of the governing board.

§ 4627

Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 9, Sec. 6. (SB 74) Effective March 24, 2011.

(a)The director of the department shall adopt and enforce conflict-of-interest regulations to ensure that members of the governing board, program policy committee, and employees of the regional center make decisions with respect to the regional centers that are in the best interests of the center’s consumers and families.

(b)The department

shall monitor and ensure the regional centers’ compliance with this section and Sections 4626 and 4626.5. Failure to disclose information pursuant to these sections and related regulations may be considered grounds for removal from the board or for termination of employment.

(c)The department shall adopt regulations to develop standard conflict-of-interest reporting requirements.

(d)The department shall adopt emergency regulations to implement this section and Sections 4626 and 4626.5 by May 1, 2011. The adoption, amendment, repeal, or readoption of a regulation authorized by this section is deemed to be necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, or general welfare, for purposes of Sections 11346.1 and 11349.9 of the Government Code, and the department is hereby exempted from that requirement. For purposes of subdivision (e) of Section

11346.1 of the Government Code, the 120-day period, as applicable to the effective period of an emergency regulatory action and submission of specified materials to the Office of Administrative Law, is hereby extended to 180 days.

(e)The department shall adopt regulations to implement the terms of subdivision (d) through the regular rulemaking process pursuant to Sections 11346 and 11349.1 of the Government Code within 18 months of the adoption of emergency regulations pursuant to subdivision (d).

§ 4628

Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 409, Sec. 40. (AB 1595) Effective January 1, 2015.

If, for good reason, a contracting agency is unable to meet all the criteria for a governing board established in this chapter, the director may waive those criteria for a period of time, not to exceed one year, with the approval of the state council.

§ 4629