August 23, 2005

The full state Senate on Tuesday approved Assemblywoman Patty Berg’s clean-needle bill, putting the measure on the fast track to the governor’s desk.

Assembly Bill 547 needs only a concurrence vote on the Assembly floor before heading to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The full Assembly has previously supported the bill, so passage is all but certain, according to Berg (D-Eureka).

The bill, supported by California’s public health officers and law-enforcement groups, would help fight the spread of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C.

AB 547 would eliminate a section of state law that requires cities and counties to declare a health emergency every two weeks to operate a needle-exchange program.

Last year, the governor vetoed a similar version of the measure. Since that time, however, Berg has worked closely with administration officials to craft a bill the governor could support.

Her efforts have also drawn groundbreaking support from the California Peace Officers’ Association and the California Narcotic Officers’ Association, both of which have opposed the bill for the past two years.

This is the third year Berg has authored a bill on this subject, but the first time she has earned the backing of law enforcement.

“This bill is about saving lives and protecting communities from disease,” Berg said. “It was in everyone’s interest that we find common ground. And I’m very happy that we did.”

Health officers, who are charged with protecting Californians from the spread of illness, have long argued that existing law put a wasteful burden on local government by requiring supervisors or council members to declare a health emergency every two weeks in order to continue operating a needle-exchange program.

“AIDS and hepatitis don’t expire every two weeks,” Berg said. “Neither should the programs that slow their spread.”

Exchange programs have proven effective in staunching the spread of blood-borne diseases, Berg said. The assemblywoman said these programs protect not only intravenous drug users, but all the people whose lives are knowingly or unknowingly linked to them.

The Senate approved the bill on a 24-15 vote.