Calif. Legislature Steps Into Tense Fight Over Tobacco Tax, Medi-Cal Funding
A debate is raging between doctors groups and the governor over what to do with the money brought in from the state's new tobacco tax.
Los Angeles Times:
California Senate, Assembly Advance Their Own Plans On How To Spend Tobacco Tax Revenue
Perhaps the biggest budget skirmish that remains unsolved this year is how California should spend revenue from the tobacco tax voters approved last fall. Gov. Jerry Brown wants to put that money to expand overall spending on Medi-Cal, which provides subsidized healthcare for the poor. But ... some of [the] initiative's backers, namely doctor and dental groups, have cried foul, arguing that money is meant to go to increasing payments for providers. Now, the Senate and Assembly are weighing in. (Mason, 5/25)
In other news from Sacramento —
Los Angeles Times:
No One Knows How Many Untested Rape Kits There Are In California. This Bill Aims To Fix That
Tens of thousands of rape kits are sitting on shelves in police and sheriff’s department evidence rooms nationwide. And no one has tested them to see what crimes they could help solve. A bill by Assemblyman David Chiu (D-San Francisco) would help determine how many of those unanalyzed exam kits exist in California, part of a national backlog that federal officials have grappled with for nearly two decades. (Ulloa, 5/26)
Capital Public Radio:
Senate Approps Casualties: Drugged Driving Limit, College Free Speech Bill
A California Senate committee blocked dozens of bills Thursday without even mentioning them – let alone voting on them – during a 45-minute hearing. ... Among the more noteworthy casualties: a bill that sought to protect free speech on college campuses, in response to conservative speakers like Ann Coulter being blocked from speaking at UC Berkeley, and a measure that would have set legal limits for driving under the influence of marijuana, now that voters have legalized its recreational use. (Adler, 5/25)