BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1931
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CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 1931 (Torrico)
As Amended August 17, 2010
2/3 vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |75-1 |(June 2, 2010) |SENATE: |32-0 |(August 20, |
| | | | | |2010) |
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Original Committee Reference: HEALTH
SUMMARY : Eliminates the repeal date for the Spinal Cord
Research Program (Roman Reed Program). Eliminates, in statute,
the Spinal Cord Injury Research Fund (Fund) within the State
Treasury and instead codifies current practice to permit the
University of California (UC) to establish a fund to accept
public and private funds.
The Senate amendments :
1)Delete the repeal date for the Roman Reed Program.
2)Eliminate the Fund and instead permit UC to establish a fund
independent of the State Treasury, to accept public and
private funds.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act of
1999 (Act) effective September 27, 2000.
2)Establishes the Fund which consists of moneys accepted by UC
from private grants and donations and public moneys
transferred to the Fund. Requires all moneys to remain in the
Fund at the end of the fiscal year and not revert to the
General Fund.
3)Continuously appropriates deposited moneys to UC.
4)Requires funds expended under the Act to be utilized for the
award of grants to perform spinal injury research projects,
subject to scientific guidelines and rules established by UC.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill delayed the repeal date for
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the Roman Reed Program and the Fund from January 1, 2011 to
January 1, 2016. Required monies in the Fund to be expended
solely for spinal cord injury research projects and grants.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, this bill will have General Fund (GF) costs of $1
million to $2 million annually total funds in cost pressure to
continue funding at historic levels.
COMMENTS : According to the author, California is home to
approximately 646,000 people living with paralysis from various
neurologic conditions. The author states that by extending the
funding for the Roman Reed Program, this research will make an
enormous contribution to those suffering from spinal cord injury
paralysis and will continue to bring new scientific
breakthroughs, jobs, and revenue to California. The author
states that, unfortunately, the Fund and all of the research and
fiscal leverage it provides is set to expire at the end of this
year.
Due to an oversight, the Fund does not currently exist in the
State Treasury as intended. No funds have been placed into the
Fund and none have been expended from it. UC instead
established the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research account
and has deposited all state, federal, and private funds
collected for the Roman Reed Program. Until fiscal year (FY)
2008-2009, the state provided a separate budget item of
approximately $1.5 million GF annually within the UC's funding
allocation for the operation of the Roman Reed Program. In FY
2009-2010, UC received an appropriation of $1.2 million within
its budget, but the state no longer earmarked it for the Roman
Reed Program. However, UC chose to continue funding the Roman
Reed Program with the same amount of funds that were
historically allocated.
Since the special fund structure in statute has never been
implemented as intended, and instead UC created and maintained
the Roman Reed Program through a separate fund, this bill will
put into statute the way the funding source currently works.
Analysis Prepared by : Patty Rodgers / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097
FN: 0006079
AB 1931
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