FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 27, 2023

Proposed Initiative Enters Circulation

Expands State Health Care Program For Children
With Certain Medical Conditions. Initiative Statute.


SACRAMENTO, CA – Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber announced that the proponent of a new initiative was cleared to begin collecting petition signatures on December 27, 2023.

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 a calendar of deadlines to the proponent and to county elections officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows:

EXPANDS STATE HEALTH CARE PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN WITH CERTAIN MEDICAL CONDITIONS. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Expands California Children’s Services Program, which provides health care to low-middle income children under 21 with specified medical conditions, by requiring state to provide:

  1. financial assistance to families not eligible for Program services for certain out-of-pocket treatment costs for covered conditions;
  2.  new annual grants to hospitals that provide Program services;
  3. increased payment rates for physicians that are at least the federal Medicare rate; and
  4. coverage for additional medical conditions including cancer, heart disease, certain infectious diseases, and cerebral palsy that are currently covered only by regulation, not by statute.

Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: State General Fund cost potentially ranging in the hundreds of millions of dollars to around a billion dollars each year to assist families with the cost of health care for children with qualifying serious and chronic diseases, as well as to increase payments to providers in the California Children’s Services program. (23-0029A1)

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 1971 and the Attorney General's tracking number is 23-0029A1.

The proponent of the measure, Ann-Louise Kuhns, must collect signatures of 546,651 registered voters (five percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2022 general election) in order for the measure to become eligible 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 June 24, 2024. The proponent may be contacted c/o Richie Ross at (916) 441-1995 and richie@richieross.com.

 ###

Contact: SOS Press Office
SOSPress@sos.ca.gov