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. Existing law generally authorizes a health care service plan or health insurer to use prior authorization and other utilization review or utilization management functions, under which a licensed physician or a licensed health care professional who is competent to evaluate specific clinical issues may approve, modify, delay, or deny requests for health care services based on medical necessity. Existing law requires a health care service plan or health insurer, including those plans or insurers that delegate utilization review or utilization management functions to medical groups, independent practice associations, or to other contracting providers, to comply with specified requirements and limitations on their utilization review or utilization management functions.
California SB 306 (20252026) — Health care coverage: prior authorizations.
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. Existing law generally authorizes a health care service plan or health insurer to use prior authorization and other utilization review or utilization management functions, under which a licensed physician or a licensed health care professional who is competent to evaluate specific clinical issues may approve, modify, delay, or deny requests for health care services based on medical necessity. Existing law requires a health care service plan or health insurer, including those plans or insurers that delegate utilization review or utilization management functions to medical groups, independent practice associations, or to other contracting providers, to comply with specified requirements and limitations on their utilization review or utilization management functions.
Version chain
The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.
Unfinished Business SB306 Becker Concurrence — 40–0 (pass) · upper
3rd Reading — 37–0 (pass) · upper
Do pass as amended. — 11–0 (pass) · lower
Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — 16–0 (pass) · lower
Do pass — 6–0 (pass) · upper
SB 306 Becker Senate Third Reading By Harabedian — 76–1 (pass) · lower
Placed on suspense file — 7–0 (pass) · upper
Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations] — 10–0 (pass) · upper
Sponsors
Becker — primary (person)
Timeline
The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.
2025-02-10 Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. introduction, reading-1
2025-02-11 From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 13.
2025-02-19 Referred to Com. on HEALTH. referral-committee
2025-04-02 Set for hearing April 23.
2025-04-10 From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH. amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee
2025-04-24 From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 0. Page 868.) (April 23). amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable
2025-04-28 Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee
2025-05-02 Set for hearing May 12.
2025-05-12 May 12 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-05-16 Set for hearing May 23.
2025-05-23 From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 1195.) (May 23). committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable
2025-05-23 Read second time. Ordered to third reading. reading-1, reading-2
2025-05-28 Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 37. Noes 0. Page 1300.) Ordered to the Assembly. passage, reading-1, reading-3
2025-05-28 In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. reading-1
2025-06-05 Referred to Com. on HEALTH. referral-committee
2025-07-16 From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (July 15). amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable
2025-07-17 Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR. amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2, referral-committee
2025-08-20 August 20 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
2025-08-29 From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (August 29). amendment-passage, committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable
2025-09-02 Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading. amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-2
2025-09-03 Read second time. Ordered to third reading. reading-1, reading-2
2025-09-04 Read third time and amended. amendment-passage, reading-1, reading-3
2025-09-04 Ordered to third reading.
2025-09-08 Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 76. Noes 1. Page 2999.) Ordered to the Senate. passage, reading-1, reading-3
2025-09-08 In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
2025-09-09 Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2712.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable
2025-09-16 Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.
2025-10-06 Approved by the Governor. executive-signature
2025-10-06 Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 408, Statutes of 2025. became-law
Source
OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot 2026-07-01; origin ocd-bill/246d93df-1d59-4a99-bb69-903d7ac263cc. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).