URGE THE GOVERNOR TO SIGN AB 629, SB 94 AND AB 1328

DATE:  September 17, 2007
TO:    Delegate Agencies, Board of Directors, Advocates and Staff
FROM:  Jody Leibman, Director of Public Policy
RE:    Policy Update:  Time for Action – Urge the Governor to Sign Important Legislation!   

CFHC NEEDS YOUR HELP!  URGE THE GOVERNOR TO SIGN AB 629, SB 94 AND AB 1328:
COMPREHENSIVE SEX ED *** INCREASED PROVIDER RATES *** IMMEDIATE AIM ENROLLMENT

Last week, the California legislature wrapped up its current legislative session.  Before they adjourned, several important bills were passed that are now on the Governor’s desk awaiting his signature – or veto - by October 21.

Now is the time to take action to ensure that the Governor signs these important pieces of legislation into law.  We need your help!

CFHC asks that you send letters to the Governor on AB 629, SB 94 and AB 1328.  Below is a brief synopsis of each bill.  We have attached sample letters on AB 629, SB 94 and AB 1328 to make it easy for you to make your opinion heard.

AB 629:
AB 629, The Sexual Health Education Accountability Act, seeks to promote healthy California communities by ensuring that local pregnancy and STD (sexually transmitted disease) prevention education programs are accurate, effective and unbiased.  The bill is designed to support flexible, community-based sexual health education programs while ensuring that public funds are spent responsibly in communities with the greatest needs.  AB 629 sets basic, common sense guidelines for state-funded community-based sexual health education programs that are a simplified version of the existing guidelines for sexuality education in public schools. 

SB 94:
SB 94 is a recently amended bill which would augment several family planning provider rates to 80% of Medicare rates. The codes included focus on office visit procedures.  This investment would provide relief to clinics as well as draw down $9 million in federal matching funds. 

AB 1382:
AB 1382 would remove the six-month residency requirement from the Access for Infants and Mothers (AIM) statute.  Instead, an applicant would simply need to be a California resident at the time of application.  This bill would allow pregnant women immediate access to prenatal care.

CFHC asks that you send letters to the Governor urging him to sign AB 629, SB 94 and AB 1382 by Friday, September 21.

If you have any questions or would like further information, contact Jody Leibman, Director of Public Policy, at leibmanj@cfhc.org or (213) 386-5614 ext. 4416. 

***SAMPLE LETTER: AB 629***

September __, 2007

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

Fax: (916) 445-4633

Re: SUPPORT for AB 629 (Brownley) – The Sexual Health Education Accountability Act

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger,

On behalf of {INSERT ORGANIZATIONAL NAME}, we are writing to urge you to sign AB 629 (Brownley), to promote healthy California communities by ensuring accurate and effective pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention education programs.  AB 629, which establishes The Sexual Health Education Accountability Act, is designed to encourage local program flexibility while ensuring that public funds are spent responsibly in communities with the greatest needs.

AB 629 sets a floor of basic standards for state-funded or administered community-based sexual health education programs that are a simplified version of the existing standards for school-based instruction. It would require that community-based programs be medically accurate and objective, age-appropriate, culturally and linguistically appropriate, and taught by knowledgeable instructors.  It would further require that these programs include information about abstinence when directed to minors and also include information about at least one FDA-approved method for preventing pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases.

Scarce state dollars for community-based sexual health education currently fund some programs that contain medically inaccurate information and deny young people the facts they need to protect their health.  State-funded programs are directed to local communities that have high rates of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases—the very communities that most need accurate, effective information. The costs to Californians relating to teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases are well over $1.5 billion each year, yet there is no accountability for how the state’s prevention education funds are spent.

Californians overwhelmingly support the comprehensive sex education that AB 629 would require.  Nearly 85% of Californians expressed this support, according to a 2006 survey by the California Department of Health Services’ Office of AIDS.  The Public Policy Institute of California found that this support crosses all demographic groups in the state, including Latinos (74%) and evangelical Christians (66%) (see http://www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=652).

For these reasons, we respectfully request your support to ensure that state dollars are spent responsibly for quality sexual health education programs in the communities with the greatest needs.   We strongly urge you to sign AB 629.

Sincerely,
{Insert Name, Title}

***SAMPLE LETTER: AB 1328***

September __, 2007

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

Fax: (916) 445-4633

Re: SUPPORT for AB 1328 (Hayashi): Support Timely Access to Health Care for Pregnant Women!

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger,

On behalf of {INSERT ORGANIZATIONAL NAME}, I urge you to support efficient, timely access to cost-effective preventive and other basic health care for pregnant women and children.   

AB 1328 would remove the unconstitutional six-month residency requirement from the Access for Infants and Mothers (AIM) statute, and instead require simply that the applicant be a resident of California.  Pregnant women, in particular, require immediate access to health care.  In many instances a pregnant woman is forced to move out-of-state and is then denied vital prenatal care that they would otherwise be qualified to receive because of the six-month requirement.

By addressing this unconstitutional hurdle, AB 1328 will not only allow pregnant women access to the basic prenatal and health care services they need by increasing access to this essential and cost effective program, but will also reduce administrative costs currently associated with the residency requirement. 

We urge you to sign this vital piece of legislation.

Sincerely,
{Insert Name, Title}

***SAMPLE LETTER: SB 94***

September __, 2007

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

Fax: (916) 445-4633

Re: SUPPORT for SB 94 (Kuehl): Invest in Preventative Health Care!

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger,

On behalf of {INSERT ORGANIZATIONAL NAME}, I urge you to support cost-effective family planning services by signing SB 94. This bill would ensure that low-income women and men will continue to have access to important preventive health care services by augmenting Medi-Cal rates for family planning providers.

Family planning services have saved the state billions of dollars in medical and social service costs associated with unintended pregnancies and by preventing the spread of STDs. Yet every month, family planning clinics must turn away thousands of patients because we don’t have the money to hire the clinic staff to meet our community’s needs.  Indeed, California’s family planning providers have not received a significant augmentation from the state in 20 years.  In the meantime, the cost of providing patient care has increased by as much as 300%!

SB 94 is the first step in correcting this critical situation by ensuring that clients have access to family planning services while at the same time saving the state money. The cost of doing something – a mere $3.2 million – is significantly less than the cost of doing nothing.  In addition, by making this investment, California will draw down an additional $9 million in federal matching funds.

Family planning services save the state billions of dollars each year. Costs associated with teen births alone totals more than $1.5 billion each year, according to the Public Health Institute’s report No Time for Complacency: Teen Births in California.

The governor can show his support for women’s health and take a first important step toward health care reform by signing SB 94.  This bill not only makes fiscal sense but is a solid step in support of the Governor’s commitment to preventative health care.

We strongly urge you to sign SB 94.

Sincerely,
{Insert Name, Title}