Golden State Today

Sacramento, Calif. – Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., announced that an initiative became eligible for the November 5, 2024, General Election ballot on June 21, 2024.

To become eligible for the ballot, the initiative required 546,651 valid petition signatures, equivalent to five percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2022 General Election. A measure can qualify via random sampling of petition signatures if the sampling projects that the number of valid signatures exceeds 110 percent of the required number. The initiative needed at least 601,317 projected valid signatures to qualify by random sampling and has surpassed this threshold.

On June 27, 2024, the Secretary of State will certify the initiative as qualified for the November ballot unless it is withdrawn by the proponent before certification pursuant to Elections Code section 9604(b).

The Attorney General's official title and summary of the measure is as follows:

"EXPANDS STATE HEALTH CARE PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN WITH CERTAIN MEDICAL CONDITIONS. INITIATIVE STATUTE." This statute expands California Children’s Services Program by requiring state provisions such as financial assistance to families not eligible for program services for certain out-of-pocket treatment costs; new annual grants to hospitals providing program services; increased payment rates for physicians at least equal to federal Medicare rates; and coverage for additional medical conditions including cancer, heart disease, certain infectious diseases, and cerebral palsy currently covered only by regulation.

A summary estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance indicates a potential cost ranging from hundreds of millions to around a billion dollars annually from the State General Fund. These funds would assist families with healthcare costs for children with qualifying serious and chronic diseases and increase payments to providers in 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 this measure is Ann-Louise Kuhns. They can be contacted through Richie Ross at (916) 441-1995 or richie@richieross.com.

For more information about how an initiative qualifies for a ballot in California, visit https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures/how-qualify-initiative/.