CCCC has achieved a significant win on Assembly Bill 937 (Eggman), which would have prevented unnamed surrogates from speaking for their incapacitated loved ones. CCCC feared that the bill, in its current form, would cause more harm than good. (You can learn more about AB 937 here.)

AB 937’s author, Assemblymember Susan Eggman, has decided to make it a two-year bill. That means that AB 937 will stop moving forward in the current legislative session, but will pick up again in the 2018 session. This delay represents a significant achievement on our part: it buys us more time to us work with Assemblymember Eggman over the interim this fall, under less time pressure, to find a thoughtful resolution that works better for patients and clinicians.

CCCC was the only organization officially on record as “opposed” to this bill. We worked closely with the California Medical Association, whose official position was “concerned,” to achieve this victory, and we thank them for their efforts.

Dr. Karl Steinberg, board member of CCCC and Hospice by the Sea Medical Director, testified on the bill in both the Assembly Judiciary and Health Committees. He also helped to bring other organizations’ attention to this bill, and participated in key legislative meetings with Judy Thomas, our CEO.

Although we are not done with AB 937, we’re excited to move forward to work with Assemblymember Eggman and her staff to craft legislation that best meets the needs of patients and clinicians throughout the state. We’ll keep updating as the process continues.