[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Dan Bacher

Long-needed legislation by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk (D-Davis) to protect the California Delta’s rapidly declining fisheries won the approval of the State Assembly’s Appropriations Committee on Thursday, May 22. The bill will be heard next week on the Assembly Floor, according to Melissa Jones, Wolk's spokesperson.

The Committee vote was 12-5 for Wolk's AB 1806, a bill that requires public land managers to prepare emergency fish rescue plans before undertaking a project that would have a significant adverse impact on fishery resources in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

The vote passed through Committee on a party line vote, with Committee Democrats voting for the bill and the Republicans voting against it. Assembly Members Mark Leno, Anna Caballero, Mike Davis, Mark DeSaulnier, Mike Eng, Jared Huffman, Patty Berg, Paul Krekorian, Ted Lieu, Fiona Ma, Pedro Nava and Jose Solorio voted "Yes," while Mimi Walters, Bill Emmerson, Doug La Malfa, Alan Nakanishi and Sharon Runner voted "No" for the bill.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

* Insurers would face restrictions in cancelling coverage retroactively
* Patients would be better able to assess hospital cost and quality data
* Other bills on hospital community benefits and "boutique hospitals"

By Hanh Kim Quach
Health Care Policy Coordinator
Health Access California

The Assembly Health Committee on Tuesday approved a smattering of bills that would begin to set the foundation for health care reform, providing security to health consumers – both for their coverage and choice of provider.

Two of the bills deal with the insurer practice of retroactively canceling policies after patients become sick and need expensive treatments. These rescissions leave patients tens of thousands – if not hundreds of thousands in debt. Another bill would require medical providers to disclose cost and quality information in order to give purchasers more power in selecting the highest quality and most efficient care.

RESCISSIONS

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Moments before cutting billions of dollars to California’s most vulnerable citizens, the Assembly Republican "Yacht Caucus" today voted against an effort to close the yacht tax loophole in an effort to narrow the state’s $14 billion budget gap. 
 
Some 20 Assembly Republicans voted against closing the loophole, which would increase state revenues by $5 million in 2007-08 and $21 million in 2008-09 and each year thereafter.
 
They included Assemblymembers Anthony Adams, R-Hesperia; Joel Anderson, R-La Mesa; John Benoit, R-Palm Desert; Tom Berryhill, R-Modesto; Mike Duvall, R-Brea; Ted Gaines, R-Roseville; Martin Garrick, R-Carlsbad;  Guy Houston, R-San Ramon; Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar; Kevin Jeffries, R-Riverside; Rick Keene, R-Chico; Doug LaMalfa, R-Biggs; Bill Maze, R-Visalia; George Plescia, R-San Diego; Sharon Runner, R-Lancaster; Jim Silva, R-Huntington Beach; Cameron Smyth, R-Santa Clarita; Audra Strickland, R-Camarillo; Mike Villines, R-Fresno; Mimi Walters, R-Laguna Niguel.
 
Seven other Republicans "took a walk" on the bill by failing to vote, helping to defeat the Assembly measure. They were Assemblymembers: Paul Cook, R-Yucaipa; Bill Emmerson, R-Redlands; Jean Fuller, R-Bakersfield; Alan Nakanishi, R-Lodi; Roger Niello, R-Sacramento; Todd Spitzer, R-Orange; and Van Tran, R-Costa Mesa.

There's more...

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

Yesterday evening, the Assembly Health Committee on a 10-5 vote passed AB 1554 by Assemblymember Dave Jones regulating health insurance premiums. The bill requires that prior approval be obtained before health insurance rates can be increased. According to the author, this is the first time that legislation on this topic has passed a California legislative committee.

Voting for the bill were Assemblymembers Karen Bass, Patty Berg, Hector De La Torre, Kevin de Leon, Loni Hancock, Mary Hayashi, Ed Hernandez, Dave Jones, Sally Lieber, and Fiona Ma, all Democrats. Those voting against the measure were Assemblymembers Alan Nakanishi, Bill Emmerson, Ted Gaines, Bob Huff and Audra Strickland, all Republicans. Not voting were Democratic Assemblymembers Mary Salas and Mervyn Dymally.