We’ve come to the end of a two-year legislative session, and I’m happy to say that it was among the most productive and least contentious in recent memory.

We not only adopted an on-time balanced budget, but we also passed the most important piece of environmental legislation in the nation, and raised the wages of California’s lowest-paid workers.

Although we found a lot of common ground with the governor, the majority in the Legislature couldn’t get him to agree with us about the importance of ensuring that every single Californian has healthcare coverage.

We approved Senate Bill 840, which would have saved billions of dollars in wasted administrative costs and provided universal healthcare to our residents, but the governor vetoed it. It wasn’t unexpected, frankly, and I’m sure we’ll be hearing plenty more in the months ahead about universal healthcare.

Many of you may already know that I’ve been named chair of the budget subcommittee that oversees Medi-Cal and healthcare spending. I’m very pleased to accept this new responsibility, and I fully expect this to be a very busy year for this committee, as we take a look at a whole host of issues surrounding access to healthcare in our society. In fact, I believe healthcare issues are going to be the most important things we deal with in the coming years.

Sincerely,

Patty Berg
Assemblywoman, 1st District

Global Warming

I am pleased to report that the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 has been approved by the Legislature and is on the governor’s desk, awaiting his signature. The measure creates a statewide greenhouse gas emission limit that will reduce emissions by 25% by 2020. I co-authored this bill and am glad that so many of you contacted me to join in supporting this effort.

Universal Health

As many of you know, SB 840 (Kuehl) aimed to create the California Health Insurance System, a universal, single-payer health care system to provide health insurance coverage to all California residents. The governor, sadly, vetoed this historic legislation. I co-authored this measure because I believe we are in the midst of a health care crisis and urgent reform is needed to ensure that all Californians receive health care. Be assured, I will continue to fight to secure health care for all in California. For more information, see www.healthcareforall.org or contact my Eureka District Office at (707) 445-7014.

Financial Abuse

I am pleased to announce that my bill, AB 2171, which protects all Californians from falling prey to financial abuse scams, is on the governor’s desk ready for signature. AB 2171 protects anyone who is unaware that they are owed money by a county. This includes people who overpaid their taxes or who are unaware they had equity in property lost to a tax lien or other legal action. Individuals, often called “money finders,” will contact someone who is owed money and urge them to sign a contract in haste or risk losing all of their money. These contract fees are often in excess of 50 percent! My bill will limit this fee to a standard 10 percent. While everyone would be protected by AB 2171, senior citizens will especially benefit as they are often the target for overpriced contracts from those who would help them recoup their money. The governor has until September 30th to sign or veto this important measure.