FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 14, 2023

Proposed Initiative Enters Circulation

Provides Permanent Funding for Medi-Cal Health Care Services.
Initiative Statute.

SACRAMENTO, CA – Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber announced that the proponents of a new initiative were cleared to begin collecting petition signatures on November 13, 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 proponents 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 proponents and to county elections officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows:

PROVIDES PERMANENT FUNDING FOR MEDI-CAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Makes permanent the existing tax on managed health care insurance plans, currently set to expire in 2026, which the state uses to pay for health care services for low-income families with children, seniors, people with disabilities, and other groups covered by the Medi-Cal program. Requires revenues to be used only for specified Medi-Cal services, including primary and specialty care, emergency care, family planning, mental health, and prescription drugs. Prohibits revenues from being used to replace other existing Medi-Cal funding. Caps administrative expenses and requires independent audits of programs receiving funding. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Uncertain overall impact on state revenues and spending, including reduced legislative flexibility over the use of MCO tax funds. The extent of this impact depends on whether the measure would result in different state decisions around imposing, structuring, and spending proceeds from the managed care organization tax than in the absence of the measure. (23-0024A1.)

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 1966 and the Attorney General's tracking number is 23-0024A1.

The proponents of the measure, Christina Orr, Dustin Corcoran, and Jodi Hicks, 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 proponents have 180 days to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must be submitted to county elections officials no later than May 13, 2024. The address for the proponents is c/o Kurt R. Oneto, Nielsen Merksamer LLP, 1415 L Street, Suite 1200, Sacramento, CA 95814. The proponents may also be contacted at (916) 446-6752 and koneto@nmgovlaw.com. 

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