HEALTH ACCESS UPDATE
Saturday, December 11th, 2004
NEW LEGISLATURE, NEW HEALTH LEADERS; NEW CALENDAR
- Chan and Ortiz Heading Health Policy Committees
- De La Torre and Ducheny To Lead Health Budget Subcommittees
- New Two-Year Legislative Calendar Through 2006
Earlier this week, a new class of Assemblymembers and Senators were sworn into the California legislature. While the partisan makeup of both legislative chambers were the same, some of the faces were new, as term-limited legislators moved on.
The new session also introduces a new legislative calendar for consideration of bills and budgets, from now until the election in November 2006, which will feature a critical campaign for governor, as well as many statewide posts and legislative seats.
The legislative leadership, led by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (Los Angeles), and newly-minted Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata (Oakland), announced the chairs of the committees for the upcoming session. The announcements include a blend of familiar and new names for health advocates to work with. In their speeches and statements, both leaders placed health care as a top priority for their caucuses and legislative chambers.
Senators Ortiz and Speier will continue to chair the Senate Health and Senate Insurance Committees, respectively. Consumer health advocates are pleased to see Assemblywoman Wilma Chan rise to be chair of the Assembly Health Committee, which handles both health and health insurance issues.
The budget subcommittees on health will have new leadership: Senator Denise Ducheny and the newly-elected Assemblyman Hector De La Torre. Neither have exrperience on the committee they now chair, although Senator Ducheny was previously chair of the Assembly Budget Committee when she was in that house. Senator Wes Chesbro, who chaired the subcommittee for the last several years, will continue to be the overall chair of the Senate Budget Committee, while Assemblyman John Laird is newly named to be his Assembly counterpart. Laird served on the health subcommittee for the last year and was thoughtful and knowledgeable on these issues.
BELOW is a list of the new chairs of the legislative committees of interest to health advocates, as well as a new calendar of legislative and budget hearings and deadlines, courtesy of Health Access legislative advocate Beth Capell. The calendar is available LINKED in another format as a handout at the Health Access website, at:
http://www.health-access.org/docs/HealthAccessBudgetLegCalendarJan2005.doc
* Committee Chairs In the Senate:
Health Committee: Deborah Ortiz (Sacramento)
Banking, Finance, & Insurance Committee: Jackie Speier (San Mateo/San Francisco)
Budget Committee: Wes Chesbro (Santa Rosa)
Budget Subcommittee #3 on Health and Human Services: Denise Ducheny (San Diego)Appropriations Committee: Carole Migden (San Francisco)
Human Services Committee: Joe Simitian (Palo Alto)
Government Modernization, Efficiency, and Accountability: Liz Figueroa (Fremont)
Judiciary Committee: Joe Dunn (Garden Grove)
Revenue & Taxation Committee: Mike Machado (Linden/Stockton)
Rules Committee: Don Perata (Oakland)
* Committee Chairs In the Assembly:
Health Committee: Wilma Chan (Oakland)
Budget Committee: John Laird
Budget Subcommittee #1 on Health and Human Services: Hector De La Torre
Appropriations Committee: Judy Chu
Aging and Long Term Care Committee: Patty Berg
Human Services Committee: Noreen Evans
Insurance Committee: Juan VargasJudiciary Committee: Dave Jones
Labor and Employment Committee: Paul Koretz
Revenue and Taxation Committee: Johan Klehs
Rules Committee: Cindy Montanez
2005-06 Calendar
Dec. 6, 2004: Legislature convenes, adjournsJ
an. 1, 2005: Laws enacted in 2003 take effect
Jan. 3, 2005: Legislature reconvenesJ
an. 10, 2005: State Budget Announced
Jan. 21. 2005: Last day to submit bill drafts to Legislative Counsel
Feb. 18, 2005: Last day to introduce legislation
Early March 2005: Budget subcommittees begin meeting
Mid- March 2005: Policy committees begin meeting
Mar. 17-Mar. 29, 2005: Legislative Recess
April 29, 2005: Policy committee deadline, first house
May 10 (?): May Revise of Budget
May 27 (?): Budget conference committee convenes
May 27, 2005: Appropriations committee deadline, first house.
June 2, 2005: Deadline to pass first house
June 6-July 8, 2005: Policy committees, second house
July 1, 2005: Deadline to enact Budget
July 8, 2005: Policy committee deadline
July 15-Aug 15, 2005: Summer recess
Aug 2005: Initiatives for 2006 Primary circulate
Aug. 15, 2005: Legislature reconvenes
Aug. 26, 2005: Appropriations Committee deadline
Aug. 29-Sept 9, 2005: Floor Session
Sept. 9, 2005: Legislature adjourns until Jan 06 (this could be delayed until 9/15)
Oct. 9, 2005: Governor’s deadline to sign/veto (if legislature adjourns 9/9)
Nov. 8, 2005: Possible special election?
Dec. 2005: Deadline for candidates to file, deadline to file initiative signatures for June primary
Jan. 1, 2006: Legislation enacted in 2005 becomes effective
Jan. 4, 2006: Legislature reconvenes
Jan. 10, 2006: State Budget Announced
Jan. 20, 2006: Last day to submit bill drafts to Legislative Counsel
Jan. 31, 2006: Last day for bills introduced in 2005 to pass house of origin
Feb. 18, 2006: Last day to introduce legislation
Mid-March 2006: Budget subcommittees begin meeting
Late March 2006: Policy committees begin meeting
April 21, 2006: Policy committee deadline, first house
Late April, 2006: Deadline for Nov. ballot initiative signatures
May 10 (?): May Revise of Budget
May 19, 2006: Appropriations committee deadline, first house.
May 27 (?): Budget conference committee convenes
May 28, 2006: Deadline to pass first house
June 1, 2006: Policy committee, second house
June 2, 2006: Primary election
July 8, 2006: Policy committee deadline
July 1, 2006: Deadline to Enact Budget
July 3-Aug 3, 2006: Summer recess
Aug 3, 2006: Legislature reconvenes
Aug 12, 2006: Appropriations Committee deadline
Aug 12-Aug 31, 2006: Floor Session
Aug 31, 2006: Legislature adjourns until Dec 06
Sept 30, 2006: Governor’s deadline to sign/veto
Nov. 6, 2006: General election: Governor, other statewide offices, Legislature
January 1, 2007: Legislation enacted in 2006 takes effect
* 2006 dates not officially announced; there are best estimates unless set by Constitution.