Governor Signs TWO Critical Pieces of Legislation - 10/15/07

Good News! Governor Schwarzenegger signed two critical pieces of legislation affecting Planned Parenthood!

SB 94 ensures Planned Parenthood can continue to provide quality healthcare to those who need it by increasing Medi-Cal provider reimbursement rates for vital family planning services. The Medi-Cal provider reimbursement rate had only seen one increase in twenty years. Because of this, Planned Parenthood has had to turn away 10,000 patients a year due to the lack of funding to hire staff to meet the needs of these patients.

AB 629 ensures state money will only be spent on medically accurate, effective sex education! Despite comprehensive sex education laws in California, some public funds were being spent on inaccurate, biased programs often in the most underserved communities that have the greatest health disparities and the least access to quality sexual health information. AB 629 promotes healthy communities by funding accurate, reliable information about preventing unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.

Thank you to all the dedicated Planned Parenthood: Shasta-Diablo volunteers and activists who wrote thousands of letters, made hundreds of phone calls and came to several key visibility events. It is supporters like you who made this bill a priority in the State Legislature and got it signed into law by the Governor! Thank you and congratulations!