Proposition 3: Children’s Hospital Bond Act

Easy-to-use Citizen Voice Prop. 3 Ballot Measure Summary (.pdf)
Watch the Citizen Voice “Mini-debate” on Prop. 3
Listen or Download the Audio Version of the Prop. 3 “Mini-debate”
Read the Transcript for the Audio of Prop. 3 “Mini-debate”

Proposition 3 would authorize the state to sell $980 million in general obligation bonds for the construction, expansion, remodeling, renovation, furnishing and equipping of eligible children’s hospitals.

Specifically, the bond act requires that 80 percent of the money goes to hospitals which focus on children (a high volume of which must be eligible for government programs) with illnesses like leukemia, cancer, heart defects, diabetes sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis.  The remaining 20 percent of the money would go to University of California general acute care hospitals.

California’s independent Legislative Analyst estimates the total cost of paying off the bonds over the 30-year life span would be $2 billion, with payments of about $64 million per year in principal and interest.

Proposition 3 is similar to a 2004 bond measure approved by voters which allowed the state to sell $750 million in bonds for children’s hospitals.  About $400 million of those bonds have been sold to date.

Supporters of Proposition 3 say it will help hospitals purchase up-to-date technologies for premature babies and babies born with defective organs.  Supporters also say children’s hospitals don’t have the space to handle the growing number of seriously ill children and Proposition 3 would help these hospitals build more bed capacity and help more children.

Supporters of Proposition 3 include the American Academy of Pediatrics – California, the California Medical Association, Children Now, the California Parent Teachers Association and parents of seriously ill children.

Opponents of Proposition 3 point out that hundreds of millions of dollars for children’s hospitals are still left from bonds passed in 2004 and that Proposition 3 does not guarantee any money will be spent on actual services for seriously ill children.  Opponents also raise the question of whether Proposition 3 represents a “backdoor way” of compensating hospitals for treating indigents and illegal aliens.

Proposition 3 is opposed by the National Tax Limitation Committee, the American Conservative Union, People’s Advocate, State Assemblyman Ted Gaines and Jon Fleischman, publisher of flashreport.org.

More info:

Yes on Proposition 3:  www.imaginewithus.org
No on Proposition 3:  www.limittaxes.org

This is Citizen Voice’s easy-to-use summary of the proposition.  For the ballot pamphlet version go to www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov.