BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 2232
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Date of Hearing: April 9, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 2232 (Gray) - As Introduced: February 21, 2014
Policy Committee: Higher
EducationVote:13-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill:
1)Appropriates $1,855,000 from the General Fund annually,
beginning in 2015-16, to the University of California (UC) to
support the San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education
(PRIME) at UC Merced and to expand enrollment to 12 students
per year (48 students total across a four-year curriculum).
2)Appropriates $1 million from the General Fund to UC for
2014-15 to undertake planning for the establishment of a
medical school at UC Merced. UC is to report its plan and
funding requirements and development schedule for the medical
school by March 1, 2016.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)One-time cost of $1 million and ongoing cost of $1,855,000 as
specified in the bill.
2)Cost to develop and operate a new medical school would be
several tens of millions of dollars one-time and low tens of
millions of dollars ongoing.
COMMENTS
1)Background . UC operates 18 health professional schools and
programs, including six medical schools (Davis, Irvine, Los
Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, and San Francisco). In 2012-13,
total enrollment in UC medical schools was approximately 3,000
medical students and more than 4,000 medical residents and
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fellows.
UC PRIME is a training program focused on meeting the needs of
California's underserved populations in both rural communities
and urban areas by combining specialized coursework,
structured clinical experiences, advanced independent study
and mentoring. Five of UC's medical schools operate PRIMEs.
UC Merced currently offers degrees in fields that satisfy
medical school preparatory requirements and is developing
plans intended to lead to a School of Medicine. In 2011, UC
Merced opened a PRIME in partnership with the UC Davis School
of Medicine and UCSF focused the health needs of the San
Joaquin Valley.
2)Purpose . The UC Merced PRIME to date has not received state
funding support. This bill funds support for the existing
program and expansion of enrollment from six to 12 students
per year (48 students total), which would make the program
comparable in size to the other PRIMEs. In addition, the bill
provides funding to plan for a new medical school at UC
Merced.
According to the author, "despite its numerous benefits for
the region PRIME lacks an ongoing source of funding for its
current enrollment as well as the financial resources to
expand capacity to meet the needs of the valley.
Additionally, state support is vital to the continued
expansion of the campus of UC Merced and to lay the foundation
of a new UC Medical School."
3)Related Legislation . SB 841 (Cannella), as introduced, was
identical to this bill but was amended by the Senate Education
Committee to remove the appropriation and accompanying
language in support of planning for a medical school.
The 2013 Budget Act included trailer bill language requiring
UC to allocate $15 million for planning and startup costs
associated with academic programs to be offered by the School
of Medicine at UC Riverside.
Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081
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