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CBS13 - Call Kurtis Investigates: Medical Board Could Be Stripped Of Investigative Power

May 15, 2013

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Citing years of slow investigations of dangerous doctors, Sen. Curren Price (D-Los Angeles) wants the Medical Board of California stripped of its investigative authority, he told CBS13.

Call Kurtis has exposed several cases over the years when the Medical Board — the agency tasked with protecting patients from potentially dangerous doctors — was slow to act and new patients were hurt.

LA Times: Tim Robbins and Wayne Kramer show support for arts in prisons

May 06, 2013

Actor-director Tim Robbins and guitarist Wayne Kramer were among a handful of local cultural leaders to voice their support on Friday for programs that bring the arts to prisons and other correctional facilities around the country.

The event was a hearing in downtown Los Angeles intended to address the efficacy of the arts as a rehabilitative tool in the correctional system. The discussion, held at the Grammy Museum at L.A Live, was moderated by California state Sen. Curren Price, who serves as chairman of the joint committee on the arts.

LA Times: California Senate acts on pay phone rates, drug sales

May 06, 2013

SACRAMENTO -- The state Senate acted Monday on bills aimed at protecting pay phone users against high charges and reducing robberies of pharmacies.

The Senate approved SB 50, which requires California pay phones to have signs warning those using credit or debit cards of the total costs, and allow for fines of up to $50,000 for violations.

Sacramento Business Journal: Bill would move medical board investigations to attorney general

May 01, 2013

Sen. Curren Price, fed up with slow enforcement action by the Medical Board of California and a lack of response to concerns expressed about the program, amended his sunset legislation on the agency Wednesday to move all investigations of wayward doctors to the Office of the Attorney General.

Amendments to Senate Bill 304 strip provisions to enhance “vertical enforcement,” where medical board staff work with deputy attorneys general to work up cases together. Left intact are basic board functions to license doctors.

LA Times: Medical Board of California may lose power to probe physician misconduct

April 30, 2013

The Medical Board of California would be stripped of its power to investigate physician misconduct under a sweeping reform plan by legislators who say the agency has struggled to hold problem doctors accountable.

The medical board has come under fire for failing to discipline doctors accused of harming patients, particularly those suspected of recklessly prescribing drugs.

Under the legislation, amended Thursday, investigations of doctors would be handled by the California attorney general, leaving the board to deal mostly with licensing doctors.

California Healthline: Medical Board Supports Bills That Seek To Curb Prescription Drug Misuse

April 29, 2013

On Friday, the Medical Board of California voted to support a series of bills that would address prescription drug misuse but expressed opposition to a bill (SB 304) that would eliminate its authority to investigate physician misconduct, the <

LA Times: Legislature should pull plug on inept Medical Board of California

April 26, 2013

The time has come to put the Medical Board of California out of its misery.

The board oversees the licensing of doctors and their discipline for misdeeds or incompetence. It also has jurisdiction over doctor-owned surgical clinics. Long ago the board acquired the reputation of being one of the least effective regulatory bodies in Sacramento.

But evidence has mounted that it's worse: It's a danger to the community.

Sen. Curren Price Introduces Bill Requiring Coroners to Report Prescription Drug Deaths to Medical Boards

January 15, 2013

State Senator Curren D. Price Jr. (D-Culver City) introduced SB 62 saying the bill would give medical boards information that would allow them to take action against their licensees, if necessary.

By Kelly Hartog / Westwood-CenturyCityPatch

State Senator Curren D. Price, Jr. (D-Culver City) introduced SB 62 Tuesday that would ensure state licensing boards have information as soon as possible to determine the role that doctors and pharmacists may have had in patient prescription drug deaths.

Bill to fight 'underground economy' advances

June 05, 2012

By JAN NORMAN / ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

A bill in the state Legislature that is the latest in a long effort to collect taxes in California's underground economy has passed the Senate and is now being considered in the Assembly.

SENATOR PRICE’S LEGISLATIVE RECORD DRAWS ACCOLADES AND RECOGNITION FROM DIVERSE GROUPS THROUGHOUT THE STATE

May 22, 2012

Los Angeles, CA – Acknowledging his staunch legislative advocacy for the diverse communities throughout District 26 and the State of California, Senator Price has been the recipient of numerous awards from community organizations during the past few months.

In March, New Frontier Democratic Club gave their Lifetime Achievement Award to Senator Price at their 52nd Annual Installation Awards Dinner.

New Frontier Democratic Club is the largest and oldest Democratic Club in the State of California, with a long history of educating and empowering African American voters

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