On Wednesday, state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) renewed efforts to increase California’s tobacco tax by $2 per pack, theAP/Sacramento Bee reports (AP/Sacramento Bee, 8/26). The current state tax on a pack of 20 cigarettes is 87 cents, plus a $1.01 federal tax (California Healthline, 5/5). In comparison, the average state tax is $1.60 per pack. Read More »
legislation
E-smoke, tobacco bills on the move
Hang on to your hats, California smokers — a cyclone of tobacco legislation is blowing through the Golden State. Moves to crack down on electronic cigarettes, further regulate smokes in the workplace, raise the legal age to buy cigarettes to 21 years old and create new tobacco taxes all won support from the Senate health Read More »
California’s SB 222: What a Statutory Lien Means for California Health Care Districts
By Jenna Magan and Thomas Mitchell New legislation (SB 222) was signed into law by Governor Brown on July 13, 2015 that will improve the security for California Health Care District General Obligation Bonds. The law will go into effect January 1, 2016. General obligation bonds are voter-approved long-term debt instruments which are secured by the legal Read More »
Panel OKs Vaccine Bill; Floor Vote Next
On Tuesday, the state moved one step closer to rescinding a personal-belief exemption to childhood vaccine laws in California. The Assembly Committee on Health spent more than four hours in hearing deliberations — sometimes heated and emotional — on SB 277 by Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento). They eventually approved it on a 12-6 partisan vote. Hundreds Read More »
Floor Vote Next for Nurse Practitioner Bill
A bill that would allow nurse practitioners in California to practice without physician supervision under certain circumstances passed the Senate Committee on Appropriations in a 5-0 vote on Monday and now heads to the Senate floor. SB 323, by Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina), would allow nurse practitioners to practice without the supervision of a Read More »
‘Much Has Changed’ Since Legislature Last Considered an End-of-Life Bill
A dozen legislators on Wednesday gathered on a stage in Sacramento to officially introduce SB 128 by Sen. Lois Wolk (D-Davis) and co-authored by Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel). The bill would allow some dying patients to end their lives through medical means. “With this bill, we are establishing the legal right to exercise choice at the Read More »