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 |Add To My Favorites |Track Bill | Version: 03/16/26 - Amended Senate
 02/04/26 - Introduced

 SB-980 Access to medical records.(2025-2026)

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 Date Published: 03/16/2026 09:00 PM

SB980:v98#DOCUMENTBill Start

 Amended
 IN 
 Senate
 March 16, 2026

 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

 Senate Bill

No. 980

Introduced by Senator Hurtado
(Coauthors: Senators Cortese, Gonzalez, and Ochoa Bogh)

February 04, 2026

An act to amend Section 123114 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to medical records.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 980, as amended, Hurtado.
 Access to medical records.

Existing law governs a patient’s access to their health records. Existing law requires a health care provider, as defined, to provide a patient or the patient’s representative with all or any part of the patient’s medical records that the patient has a right to inspect, subject to the payment of clerical costs incurred in locating and making the records available, following a written request from the patient. Existing law entitles a patient, employee of a nonprofit legal services entity representing the patient, or the personal representative of a patient, to a copy, at no charge, of the relevant portion of the patient’s records upon written request. Existing law also prohibits a health care provider from charging a fee to a patient for filling out forms or providing information responsive to forms that support a claim or appeal regarding eligibility for a public benefit program.
 Existing law makes a willful violation of these provisions by specified health care providers an infraction. 

This bill would additionally prohibit a health care provider form charging a fee to a patient for completing health-related forms required by an educational institution or childcare provider for a pupil’s participation in school, child care, childcare, or school-sponsored activities. By expanding the requirements on health care providers and thereby expanding a crime, this bill would create a state-mandated local program.

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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Digest Key

 Vote:
 MAJORITY 
 Appropriation:
 NO 
 Fiscal Committee:
 YES 
 Local Program:
 YES 

Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Section 123114 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read:

123114.

 (a) A health care provider shall not charge a fee to a patient for filling out forms or providing information responsive to forms that support a claim or appeal regarding eligibility for a public benefit program or for completing health-related forms required by an educational institution or childcare provider for a pupil’s participation in school, child care, childcare, or school-sponsored activities.

(b) A health care provider shall provide information responsive to those portions of the form for which the health care provider has the information necessary to provide a medical opinion. If the health care provider does not have the information necessary to provide a medical opinion, the health care provider may inform the patient if an examination is necessary to obtain the information.

(c) If a health care provider conducts an examination pursuant to subdivision (b), the health care provider shall provide information responsive to those portions of the form for which the health care provider has a medical opinion.

(d) For the purposes of this section, a public benefit program includes the Medi-Cal program, the In-Home
 Supportive Services Program, the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Program for the Aged, Blind and Disabled (SSI/SSP) benefits, federal veterans service-connected compensation and nonservice connected pension disability benefits, discharge of a federal student loan based on total and permanent disability, CalFresh, the Cash Assistance Program for Aged, Blind, and Disabled Legal Immigrants, and a government-funded housing subsidy or tenant-based housing assistance program.

(e)