California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016 Distribution of Revenue.

After deducting and transferring the necessary funds pursuant to Section 30130.54 and subdivisions (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) of Section 30130.57, the Controller shall annually allocate and transfer the remaining funds in the California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016 Fund as follows:

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(a) Eighty-two percent shall be transferred to the Healthcare Treatment Fund, which is hereby created, and shall be used by the State Department of Health Care Services to increase funding for the existing healthcare programs and services described in Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) to Chapter 8.9 (commencing with Section 14700), inclusive, of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, including those that provide healthcare, treatment, and services for Californians with tobacco-related diseases and conditions, by providing improved payments, for all healthcare, treatment, and services described in Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) to Chapter 8.9 (commencing with Section 14700), inclusive, of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. To the extent possible given the limits of funding under this article, payments and support for the nonfederal share of payments for healthcare, services, and treatment shall be increased based on criteria developed and periodically updated as part of the annual state budget process, provided that these funds shall not be used to supplant existing state general funds for these same purposes. These criteria shall include, but not be limited to, ensuring timely access, limiting specific geographic shortages of services, or ensuring quality care. Consistent with federal law, the funding shall be used to draw down federal funds. The funding shall be used only for care provided by health care professionals, clinics, health facilities that are licensed pursuant to § 1250 of the Health and Safety Code, and to health plans contracting with the State Department of Health Care Services to provide health benefits pursuant to this section. The funding can be used for the nonfederal share of payments from governmental entities where applicable. The department shall, if required, seek any necessary federal approval for the implementation of this section.

(b) Thirteen percent shall be used for the purpose of funding comprehensive tobacco prevention and control programs, provided that these funds are not to be used to supplant existing state or local funds for these same purposes. These funds shall be apportioned in the following manner:

(1) Eighty-five percent to the State Department of Public Health Tobacco Control Program to be used for the tobacco control programs described beginning at § 104375 of the Health and Safety Code. The State Department of Public Health shall award funds to state and local governmental agencies, tribes, universities and colleges, community-based organizations, and other qualified agencies for the implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of evidence-based health promotion and health communication activities in order to monitor, evaluate, and reduce tobacco and nicotine use, tobacco-related disease rates, and tobacco-related health disparities, and develop a stronger evidence base of effective prevention programming with not less than 15 percent of health promotion, health communication activities, and evaluation and tobacco use surveillance funds being awarded to accelerate and monitor the rate of decline in tobacco-related disparities with the goal of eliminating tobacco-related disparities.

(2) Fifteen percent to the State Department of Education to be used for school programs to prevent and reduce the use of tobacco and nicotine products by young people as described in § 104420 of the Health and Safety Code with not less than 15 percent of these funds being awarded to accelerate and monitor the rate of decline in tobacco-related disparities for the purpose of eliminating tobacco-related disparities.

(c) Five percent to the University of California for medical research of cancer, heart and lung tobacco-related diseases pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 104500) of Chapter 1 of Part 3 of Division 103 of the Health and Safety Code to supplement the Cigarette and Tobacco Products Surtax Medical Research Program, provided that these funds be used under the following conditions:

(1) The funds shall be used for grants and contracts for basic, applied, and translational medical research in California into the prevention of, early detection of, treatments for, complementary treatments for, and potential cures for all types of cancer, cardiovascular and lung disease, oral disease, and tobacco-related diseases. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the University of California, through the Tobacco Related Disease Research Program, shall have authority to expend funds received under this act for the purposes set forth in this subdivision.

(2) Any grants and contracts awarded shall be awarded using existing medical research program infrastructure and on the basis of scientific merit as determined by an open, competitive peer review process that assures objectivity, consistency, and high quality.

(3) Individuals or entities that receive the grants and contracts pursuant to this subdivision must reside or be located entirely within California.

(4) The research must be performed entirely within California.

(5) The funds shall not be used to supplant existing state or local funds for these same purposes.

(Added November 8, 2016, by initiative Proposition 56, Sec. 4.1.)