Don't Miss Out

CPA's Summit on the States: Values and Vision for America, Dec. 8-10

Register online now! The tenth annual Summit on the States will be held at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC. Please contact Quinta Martin at 202-956-5132 or qmartin@cfpa.org with any questions.

 

Progress on Policy

California Legislature and Governor Make Minimum Wage Deal

A long battle finally ended when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger agreed to support AB 1835, which will raise California’s minimum wage from $6.75 to $7.50 on January 1, 2007, and then to $8.00 in 2008. The bill was sponsored by Assemblymember Sally Lieber. For more on state minimum wage laws, see CPA’s Minimum Wage policy brief and model legislation.

Low- and Middle-Income Uninsured Californians Receive Prescription Drug Discounts

Two years of negotiations between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state legislators have culminated in an agreement to force drug companies to provide drug discounts to low- and middle-income residents who lack health insurance. The new plan requires pharmaceutical companies to offer cheaper drugs to uninsured Californians who earn up to $60,000 a year for a family of four within three years. AB 2911/SB 1702, sponsored by Assemblymember. Fabian Nunez and Senator Don Perata, could also cut prices by 40 to 60 percent for nearly six million people with high medical costs. For more information, read CPA’s Prescription Drug Pricing policy brief and model legislation.

New California Law to Expand Preschool Opportunities

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB 172 to provide $50 million in funding for preschool education in low-income communities where schools are classified as low-performing. The bill, sponsored by Assemblymember Wilma Chan (see Legislator of the Month), will allow preschools to hire and train more teachers, and will create literacy programs to encourage parents to read to their children.

New Jersey Will Publicize Prescription Drug Prices

Gov. Jon Corzine signed A-2537/S-1396, co-sponsored by CPA Flemming Fellows Assemblymembers Upendra Chivukula and John Wisniewski. The statute requires 600 pharmacies to provide their prescription price lists to the state, which will publicize them in English and Spanish via a website and toll-free hotline. The law will take effect in September 2007. For more information on prescription drug pricing, see CPA’s Prescription Drug Pricing policy brief and model legislation.

Women- and Minority-Owned Businesses Get a Boost in New Jersey

Gov. Jon Corzine has signed an executive order that creates a Division of Minority and Women Business Development and directs all state agencies to buy goods and services from women- and minority-owned businesses. In New Jersey, women own 28 percent and minorities own 20 percent of all small businesses. However, only three percent of current state contracts are held by businesses owned by women or minorities. The new division will create programs to ensure the state gives women- and minority-owned businesses have a chance to compete for state contracts. For more information, read CPA’s Microenterprise Development policy brief and model legislation.

Legislator of the Month: CA Assemblywoman Wilma Chan

California Assemblywoman Wilma Chan recently won a victory when her legislation to expand the state’s preschool opportunities was signed into law. Read an interview with Assemblywoman Chan about this topic..

Website of the Month: www.statehealthfacts.org

With Medicaid and health care usually near the top of state legislative priorities, policymakers and advocates may find that information and statistics can be hard to whittle down. The Kaiser Family Foundation has long been a leader in the field of health policy, providing useful polls and producing reports that make clearer the obstacles facing the states and the nation. Kaiser’s www.statehealthfacts.org does a magnificent job of breaking facts down, easing the task of addressing the specific situation of each state. The site features individual state profiles as well as 50 state comparisons.