****************************************************************** Californians for Healthy Kids Update - June 17, 2005 ****************************************************************** http://www.100percentcampaign.org 1. Legislative Update 2. Budget Update 3. La Opinion Supports Our Efforts 4. Resources for Action 5. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe * Permission to forward or reprint the content herein is granted with complete attribution. View back issues of this e-update on the Web at: http://www.100percentcampaign.org/take-action/ud-index.htm ************************************************* Dear children's health supporters, The 100% Campaign and PICO California thank you for your support of the Californians for Healthy Kids effort. We hope these e-alerts are helpful in keeping you up-to-date about CHK, and encourage you to let us know about local events and developments related to children’s coverage. Our collective success in securing health insurance for all children in California depends on the involvement of everyone who cares about children’s health. ************************************************* 1. Legislative Update: AB 1199 – California Healthy Kids Fund, Upcoming Committee Hearings for AB 772 and SB 437 • AB 1199 – California Healthy Kids Fund We are very pleased to report a valuable addition to the California Healthy Kids legislative effort: Assemblymember Dario Frommer, joined by co-authors Assemblymember Wilma Chan and Senator Martha Escutia, amended an existing health care bill, AB 1199, to include language establishing The California Healthy Kids Fund. The Fund is designed to “hold” private and public contributions to get the program started, and to provide transitional assistance to local children's health initiatives and pilot programs. The goals of Californians for Healthy Kids include a shared approach to financing, involving the federal and state governments, parents, and employers. The California Healthy Kids Fund envisioned by AB 1199 invites the private sector to join with the public and help support this effort. AB 1199 demonstrates the commitment of our co-authors to California Healthy Kids, while broadening the avenues for supporting coverage for all children. IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED: * Please send a letter of support for AB 1199. The legislation will be heard in Senate Health Committee at 1:30 PM on June 22, and subsequently in Senate Banking, Finance and Insurance Committee. Please send your letters to Assemblymember Frommer, with copies to the relevant committee chairs. Assemblyman Dario Frommer Majority Floor Leader State Capitol, Room 319 Sacramento, CA 95814 FAX: 916-319-2143 Senator Deborah Ortiz Chair, Senate Health Committee State Capitol, Room 2191 FAX: 916-324-0384 Senator Jackie Speier Chair, Senate Banking, Finance & Insurance Committee State Capitol, Room 2032 FAX: 916-327-7093 • Upcoming Committee Hearings for AB 772 and SB 437 As reported in the last update, AB 772 and SB 437 both passed out of their houses of origin, and now will be heard in the policy committees of the other houses. Following is the schedule of hearings for those bills: AB 772: Senate Health Committee -- June 29, 1:30 PM Senate Banking, Finance and Insurance Committee – date TBA SB 437: Assembly Health Committee – June 28 ACTION NEEDED: * If you haven’t yet submitted letters of support, please do so now! Address your letters to the chairs of the respective committees, and copy the authors. If you did submit letters of support in the first house, please send copies of these letters to the chairs. Senator Deborah Ortiz, Chair, Senate Health Committee: FAX 916-324-0384 (see above) Senator Jackie Speier, Chair, Senate Banking, Finance & Insurance Committee: FAX 916-327-7093 (see above) Assemblymember Wilma Chan, Chair, Assembly Health Committee and Author, AB 772: FAX 916-319-2116 Senator Martha Escutia, Author, SB 437: FAX 916-327-8755 * Join us for the hearings! If you can be in Sacramento any of those days, come show your support for children’s health insurance in person. Contact Alani Cridge, acridge@childrennow.org, for details on time and place. ************************************************* 2. Budget Update Yesterday the California legislature voted along party lines on a budget package; it failed to receive the required 2/3 vote for passage. According to legislative leadership, negotiations will continue in an effort to meet the July 1 deadline for the Governor to sign a budget for the 2005-06 fiscal year. California Healthy Kids was not included in the legislature’s budget package presented yesterday. However, both SB 437 and AB 772 are moving through the legislative process with strong support, and legislative leadership in both houses have expressed their commitment to putting these bills before the Governor. Despite the uncertainty of how the budget process will move forward from here, we will continue to seek opportunities in the budget negotiations to support start-up costs for the California Healthy Kids legislation. In the midst of a very difficult budget situation, we know that insuring all children remains a goal that the overwhelming majority of Californians – Democrat and Republican – share. We will reach that goal with your help! ************************************************* 3. La Opinion Supports Our Efforts On June 4, La Opinion published an editorial in strong support of SB 437/AB 772, stating that the effort could not come at a better time and that the effort to insure all children deserves unanimous support. You can read the editorial at http://www.100percentcampaign.org/resources/articles/2005/ra-050604.htm ************************************************* 4. Resources for Action * The 100% Campaign and PICO are working on Spanish translations of a number of our key documents – watch this space and our websites for these and other new resources. * Please visit our websites to learn more about this effort at: www.100percentcampaign.org and www.picocalifornia.org * Join a growing list of Californians for Healthy Kids supporters by signing on to our goals: http://www.100percentcampaign.org/priorities/healthy-kids-signup.htm * Sign on in support of the bills: send letters to the offices of Senator Escutia and Assemblymember Chan. See the SAMPLE support letters posted on the 100% Campaign website at: http://www.100percentcampaign.org/priorities/healthy-kids-main.htm * Bill information, including records of votes, is available at: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov. * Locate your legislators: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html ************************************************* 5. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe Include one of the following messages in the BODY of an email to: info@100percentcampaign.org SUBSCRIBE UNSUBSCRIBE