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AP18:013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 16, 2018
CONTACT:
SOS Press Office
(916) 653-6575

Proposed Initiative Enters Circulation

Authorizes Bonds Funding Construction at Hospitals Providing Children’s Health Care. Initiative Statute.

SACRAMENTO – Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced the proponent of a new initiative was cleared to begin collecting petition signatures today.

The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent and to the Secretary of State, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Secretary of State then provides calendar deadlines to the proponent and to county elections officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows:

AUTHORIZES BONDS FUNDING CONSTRUCTION AT HOSPITALS PROVIDING CHILDREN’S HEALTH CARE. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Authorizes $1.5 billion in bonds, to be repaid from state’s General Fund, to fund grants for construction, expansion, renovation, and equipping of qualifying children’s hospitals. Designates 72 percent of funds to qualifying private nonprofit hospitals providing comprehensive services to high volumes of children eligible for governmental programs and children with special health needs eligible for the California Children’s Services program, 18 percent of funds to University of California general acute care children’s hospitals, and 10 percent of funds to public and private nonprofit hospitals providing services to children eligible for the California Children’s Services program. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: State costs of $2.9 billion to pay off principal ($1.5 billion) and interest ($1.4 billion) on bonds over a 35-year period. Annual payments would average $84 million. Annual payments would be lower than this average in the initial and final few years, and somewhat higher in the intervening years. (17-0045.)

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 1841 and the Attorney General’s tracking number is 17-0045.

The proponent of the measure, Ann-Louise Kuhns, must collect the signatures of 365,880 registered voters (five percent of the total votes cast for Governor in the November 2014 general election) in order to qualify it for the ballot. The proponent has 180 days to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must be submitted to county elections officials no later than July 16, 2018. The proponent can be reached at (916) 552-7111.

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