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AP17:086

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 24, 2017
Contact:
SOS Press Office
(916) 653-6575

Proposed Initiative Enters Circulation

Establishes a Fund for Healthcare in California Exempt from Revenue Restrictions. Initiative Constitutional Amendment.

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: 

ESTABLISHES A FUND FOR HEALTHCARE IN CALIFORNIA EXEMPT FROM REVENUE RESTRICTIONS. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. Creates trust fund within the state treasury solely for funding healthcare and healthcare-related expenses to encourage Legislature to enact healthcare policy and funding mechanisms. Allows Legislature to raise any taxes dedicated to the fund by majority vote and to deposit state and federal monies into the fund. Exempts fund’s revenues from constitutionally required: annual state spending limit, minimum-funding guarantee for schools, and state budget reserve deposits. Permits Legislature to establish rules reserving or delaying disbursement of monies deposited in fund, subject to annual cap. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: No direct fiscal impact on state and local governments. Any future impact would be dependent on actions by the Legislature and Governor. The measure makes it easier to increase state tax revenues dedicated to healthcare spending. It could also have a variety of impacts on the state budget—including on the state’s spending limit, and spending on healthcare, education, debts, and reserves. (17-0019.) 

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 1815 and the Attorney General’s tracking number is 17-0019. 

The proponent of the measure, Dale Fountain, must collect the signatures of 585,407 registered voters (eight 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 April 23, 2018. The proponent can be reached at (408) 462-0452 or dfountain@euhc4ca.org. 

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