BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
SB 115 (Fuller) - Valley fever
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|Version: April 20, 2015 |Policy Vote: HEALTH 9 - 0 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: No |
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|Hearing Date: May 11, 2015 |Consultant: Brendan McCarthy |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: SB 115 would appropriate $1 million from the General
Fund to the Department of Public Health to support research into
a vaccine for Valley Fever.
Fiscal
Impact: $1 million appropriation from the General Fund.
Background: Valley Fever is an infection that is caused when a person
inhales certain fungal spores. In California, Valley Fever is
most common in central valley counties. While most individuals
who are exposed to the fungal spores that cause Valley Fever
experience no symptoms or mild symptoms, in some cases serious
medical complications occur.
Current law authorizes the Department of Public Health to
SB 115 (Fuller) Page 1 of
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support research into potential vaccines for Valley Fever with
any funds appropriated for that specific purpose. Current law
also requires that if state-supported research is successful in
developing an effective vaccine, the state shall be reimbursed
for its contribution to the research in proportion to the
state's contribution to the total cost of that research.
Beginning in 1997, an effort to compile funding for Valley Fever
research generated $700,000 from the General Fund and $1.5
million from the California HealthCare Foundation. Over the next
decade a combination of federal, state, and private funds raised
over $16 million. To date, no effective vaccine has been
developed.
Proposed Law:
SB 115 would appropriate $1 million from the General Fund to
the Department of Public Health to support research into a
vaccine for Valley Fever. The bill would authorize $100,000 of
that amount for administrative costs by the Department of Public
Health.
Related
Legislation: AB 1955 (Ashburn, 2002), SB 1027 (Ashburn, 2003),
and SB 492 (Ashburn, 2005) were all substantially similar to
this bill. AB 1955 was held on this committee's Suspense File.
SB 1027 and SB 492 were held in the Assembly Appropriations
Committee.
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