SACRAMENTO—Speaker Fabian Núñez (D-Los Angeles) today challenged the State Senate to propose workable solutions to California’s health care crisis going forward.

“I would challenge the members of the Senate to come up with a plan that’s doable, that can withstand the same type of scrutiny that AB 1X was put through in this committee, the same kind of analysis by the Legislative Analyst, and that is going to respond to the needs of those poor families who have absolutely no health care today,” Speaker Núñez said at the hearing.

A full transcript of the Speaker’s remarks and a link to audio of the Speaker’s remarks are found below.

AB 1X was the Democratic comprehensive health care bill co-authored by Speaker Núñez and Senate President pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland). It would have been the largest state expansion of health care coverage in our nation’s history, insuring 3.6 million more Californians, including 800,000 children. It would have been funded by an outside revenue stream from tobacco taxes, hospital fees and employer participation. AB 1X cleared the California Assembly last month with unanimous Democratic support but was rejected by the Senate Health Committee today.

Here is audio of the Speaker’s remarks at today’s hearing:

http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/Newsline/Audio/20080128AB1XNunez.mp3.

Here is a complete transcript of the Speaker’s remarks:

“Thank you very much Madame Chair and honorable members of this fine committee.

“Let me get right down to the point. It’s pretty clear to me, based upon conversations that I’ve had either with either members of the committee or other people who have spoken with members of the committee, and clearly public statements that are in the press, that today the bipartisan compromise that was struck with Governor Schwarzenegger to bring about health care reform to 3.6 million Californians, including 800,000 children, will not be making it’s way out of the committee today.

“I know that that’s the reality we’re going to be dealing with after your vote here today, so I don’t think there’s a whole lot for me to say other than I do want to pose a challenge to people who don’t support this bill. I want to do that here and now, because I think it’s appropriate, particularly given the fact that we have created an atmosphere up and down the state of California that those of who believe in democratic values and in listening to the voices of the people of this state. Ultimately we want to respond to their interests. And I believe that with all of its hurdles and challenges, this bill is a sound response to those needs. It’s not a perfect fix by any stretch of the imagination.

“But when you’re involved with negotiating something as difficult as health care, obviously there are some ups and downs here. At the end of the day, you have to be ready for defeat. Somebody once wrote that in order to be a good winner, you have to know when to lose. And I’m here not to point any fingers at any given members of the committee – and several folks I made appointments with didn’t show up and made calls to that didn’t return my calls – and that is not in effect something I am going to hold out against anybody. I think this is a time for us to be magnanimous.

“But it would be irresponsible of us to move forward without at least posing the following challenge, Senator Kuehl. As I was meeting with some members of my own caucus today, and we were talking about the fate of health care reform, I could hear the cheers outside of my office. There was a group of people out there, and I could overhear them saying something like “Health care for all,” or something about not leaving anybody behind. I can’t tell you how much I agree with those voices, and so absent this reform that got us part of the way there, albeit it not 100% of the way there, I would challenge the members of the Senate to come up with a plan that’s doable, and that can withstand the same type of scrutiny that AB 1X was put through in this committee, the same kind of analysis by the Legislative Analyst, that is going to respond to the needs of those poor families who have absolutely no health care today. And I would pose that challenge in a way that the voters of the state of California are open to supporting, and hopefully get us a signature from a Governor – if not this one, then maybe some Governor in the near future. I do think that the challenge of leadership is about working out our differences, and we did the very best we could. I don’t know that you, given the circumstances, could have had a better product before you to consider.

“So that said, I would propose that challenge, Madam Chair, to every member of this committee. And hope that, in you own deliberations, the vote that the Assembly took on this historic effort to reform health care reform is not undermined by any one of us, because I think we’re bigger than that. Because I believe that the California State Assembly did the right thing in its own wisdom. They voted on comprehensive healthcare reform, and I would hope that the vote that members of my house took is a vote that would also be respected by this committee. Having said that, I don’t think there’s much else I can say other than thank you very much for the opportunity to be here once again to close, a second time, on this bill and I look forward to your vote here today. Thank you very much.”