Proposition 46: Medical Malpractice Lawsuits Cap and Drug Testing of Doctors

California Proposition 46, the Medical Malpractice Lawsuits Cap and Drug Testing of Doctors Initiative, is on the November 4, 2014 ballot in California as an initiated state statute. The initiative was certified on May 15, 2014 by the California Secretary of State.

If approved by voters, the initiative will:

• Increase the state's cap on damages that can be assessed in medical negligence lawsuits to over $1 million from the current cap of $250,000.
• Require drug and alcohol testing of doctors and reporting of positive tests to the California Medical Board.
• Require the California Medical Board to suspend doctors pending investigation of positive tests and take disciplinary action if the doctor was found impaired while on duty.
• Require health care practitioners to report any doctor suspected of drug or alcohol impairment or medical negligence.
• Require health care practitioners to consult state prescription drug history database before prescribing certain controlled substances.

Supporters of the initiative refer to it as the Troy and Alana Pack Patient Safety Act of 2014, after two children who were killed by a driver under the influence of abused prescription drugs. According to a study published in the Journal of Patient Safety, medical negligence is the third leading cause of death in the country behind only heart disease and cancer. As many as 440,000 people die each year from preventable medical negligence. Additionally, the California Medical Board estimates that almost one-in-five doctors (18%) suffer from drug and/or alcohol abuse at some point during their careers – and leading medical safety experts have called for random drug testing to curb substance abuse and ensure patient safety. The Journal of the American Medical Association found that doctors are the biggest suppliers for chronic prescription drug abusers, and called for the mandatory usage of state prescription drug databases while a 2012 Los Angeles Times investigation found that drugs prescribed by doctors caused or contributed to nearly half of recent prescription overdose deaths in Southern California.

In order to prevent another death at the hands of drug abuse, especially by medical professionals in the field, please support this initiative as it will keep those accountable and will provide due process for the lives that could be lost as a result of these negligent actions.

Read more about the Medical Malpractice bill by visiting: http://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_46,_Medical_Malpractice_Lawsuits_Cap_and_Drug_Testing_of_Doctors_(2014)

Water Bond Initiative of 2014

Proposition 1, a measure formerly known as Proposition 43, the Water Bond, is slated to be on the November 4, 2014 ballot in California as a legislatively-referred bond act.  A "bond" means security of any kind, including money, given to ensure performance of an obligation arising under an enactment, a license, a permit, a contract or another similar obligation, and includes the terms under which the security may be realized (Source: http://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/96030_01). The measure, upon voter approval, would enact the Safe, Clean and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2012.

More specifically, Proposition 1 will:

• Authorizes $11.14 billion in general obligation bonds for state water supply infrastructure projects, including surface and groundwater storage, ecosystem and watershed protection and restoration, and Bay-Delta Estuary sustainability.
• Appropriate money from the General Fund to pay off bonds.
• Require certain projects to provide matching funds from non-state sources in order to receive bond funds.

As many California residents may already know, our state has been undergoing a severe drought for the past several years. Reservoirs are low, groundwater basins and ecosystems are stressed, water quality is impaired, and wildfire risks are extremely high. Three consecutive dry years have pushed California’s water system to its limits and exposed vulnerabilities that must be addressed now if we are to avoid even more dire challenges in the coming years.

Signs of California’s severe water challenges include:

• Drinking water shortages and mandatory rationing in some areas
• Impaired water quality and contaminated groundwater basins
• Water cutbacks to family farms
• Lost farm jobs and reduced economic activity
• Extreme wildfire danger
• Increased food prices

In order to prevent a future where these water challenges continue, the passage of Proposition 1 will help California prepare for droughts, ensure reliable water for farms, clean contamination of water resources, protect against the collapse of our water system in an earthquake, repair the Delta, one of the most important ecosystems on the West Coast, create jobs now by fixing vital infrastructure, and protect taxpayers with strong fiscal safeguards.

Water is essential—we must act now to protect our economy and quality of life. Proposition 43 will be the solution we need to combat drought and create a more resilient water system for California.

For more information on the Water Bond ballot initiative, please visit: http://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_43,_Water_Bond_(2014)