The state legislature is in the process of figuring out and passing/not passing the new 2019-2020 budget, so we won’t be hearing from them for another month. But they need to hear from us!
Please call your State Assembly member and your State Senator and ask them to support the following:
Assembly Bill 824 — In an attempt to tackle drug costs, Assemblyman Jim Wood, D-Santa Rosa, and Attorney General Xavier Becerra have introduced this bill to protect generic drugs from litigation as they head to market. This bill would shield generic drugs from so-called “pay-for-delay” litigation from brand-name drug manufacturers.
Actuarial Study Funding for Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) – $1,000,000 — The study would help in the creation of a new long-term services and supports (LTSS) financing program that would meet the needs of California’s growing population of older adults and persons living with disabilities.
Caregiver Resource Centers Funding – $30 million — One-time budget request over three years to support the statewide Caregiver Resource Centers system: During the recession, funding for the Caregiver Resource Centers was cut by 74%;; and as a result, there are now waitlists for caregivers seeking respite care. According to AARP data, approximately 4.5 million family caregivers in California provide care to an adult, many of whom are still working full-time jobs.
On the Federal side, we ask you contact your member of Congress (Lofgren, Eshoo or Khanna, depending on where you reside) and ask them to support the same initiatives as in May, if you haven’t done so already. Please call, write, email — just make sure they know these issues are what matter!
Lowering Prescription Drug Prices: CREATES Act of 2019”, or H.R. 965 (Rep David Ciciline, D-RI), and our right to access lower priced generic drugs, “Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drugs Act of 2019”, or H.R. 1499 (Rep Robert Rush, D-IL).
Age-Discrimination Initiative: H.R.1230 (Rep Robert Scott, D-VA) and S. 485 (Sen Robert Casey, D-PA), the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (POWADA).
Medical-Expense Deduction: H.R.2073 (Rep Katie Porter, D-CA), a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permanently extend the 7.5 percent adjusted gross income floor for medical-expense deductions.