Health Care, Other Bills on Schwarzenegger’s Desk Appear in Limbo
About 700 bills dealing with health care and other issues await action by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), but Capitol sources say the governor has suggested that the bills be withdrawn until the Legislature completes a deal to address California's water problems, Capitol Weekly reports.
In an e-mail to Senate Democrats this week, Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) referenced the governor's suggestion, according to Capitol Weekly.
Alicia Trost, a spokesperson for Steinberg, said Schwarzenegger did not formally ask Steinberg to withdraw the bills.
Aaron McLear, the governor's spokesperson, declined to comment about Steinberg's e-mail or whether Schwarzenegger wants the bills withdrawn.
The Road Ahead
The governor has until Oct. 11 to act on bills the Legislature passed. Measures that he does not sign or veto by then will become law automatically.
The Senate plans to reconvene on Oct. 13 to work on almost two dozen bills, including a hospital funding measure.
A spokesperson for Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) said the lower house has no plans to reconvene (York, Capitol Weekly, 10/5).
Editorial Urges OK for Hospital Bill
One of the governor's "first priorities" should be signing AB 1383, which would create a new hospital tax that would be used to draw down federal matching funds to increase Medi-Cal reimbursements, according to a San Jose Mercury News editorial.
The measure would tap into money through the federal economic stimulus package to provide matching Medi-Cal funds at a higher rate than normal, the editorial states (San Jose Mercury News, 10/5). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.