SACRAMENTO – As the White House and Republican Congress continue to threaten federal funding for family planning services in their latest healthcare proposal, a bill by State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) to create a specialized pro-choice license plate with proceeds benefiting reproductive healthcare in California has passed the Assembly Transportation Committee. The vote was 11-3.
Senate Bill 309 would require the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue a specialized license plate with a “California Trusts Women” theme once 7,500 Californians order them. Californians interested in pledging to purchase a plate, should the bill be signed into law, can now do so on Senator Jackson’s website. Californians can see examples of three design options and vote on their favorite at www.californiatrustswomen.com. The final choice will be announced later this year.
Should SB 309 be signed into law, it will be a visible way for Californians to show their opposition to federal anti-choice policies, while raising funding for the Family Planning, Access, Care, and Treatment (FPACT) Program, which provides critical family planning services to 1.8 million Californians every year.
The voluntary license plate will cost $50 in its first year, and $40 thereafter.
“SB 309 will provide a way for Californians who are deeply troubled by the federal attack on women’s rights and health care to take their values “to the street” while providing a vital funding mechanism for California’s network of reproductive health care providers,” said Jackson. More than 5,000 pledges have already been received as well as postcards in support of the bill from around the country.
“The ‘California Trusts Women’ license plate is both a symbol of our belief in an equal society and a commitment to support high quality and accessible health clinics in our community,” said Amy Everitt, state director of NARAL Pro-Choice California. “This vote shows that we’re not going to sit back while Californians lose access to reproductive health care. This license plate is one way everyone can step up and make a difference.”
SB 309 now heads to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Jackson represents the 19th Senate District, which includes all of Santa Barbara County and western Ventura County.