Measure to Move Presidential Primary Sent to Governor
Touted as a way to give California a greater voice in the race for the White House, legislation (SB 113) to move the state’s presidential primary from June to February passed the Assembly on Tuesday.  The measure will now go to Gov. Schwarzenegger, who is expected to sign it within a couple of weeks.  The measure could set the stage for a ballot initiative to expand term limits in a way that could benefit incumbents, and potentially, for a separate proposal to strip the Legislature of authority to draw political district lines.  While there was wide support for the measure in the Legislature, critics worry about potential high election costs, voter fatigue as well as other political dynamics.  For example, any measure placed on the February ballot could be helped or hurt if one party’s presidential primary is hotly contested and the other’s is not.

Public Supports Guaranteed Health Care
A majority of Americans say the federal government should guarantee health insurance to every American, especially children, and are willing to pay higher taxes to pay for it, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.  While the war in Iraq remains the overarching issue in the early stages of the 2008 presidential campaign, access to affordable healthcare is at the top of the domestic agenda, ranked far more important than immigration, cutting taxes and other issues.  While the majority of survey respondents noted that they would be willing to pay higher taxes, divisions that doomed the universal healthcare push by the Clinton administration in the 1990’s remain.  Largely based on party lines, Americans disagree about whether the government should mandate coverage, as well as whether government or private insurance would do a better job of providing coverage.

Deadline Approaching for California Life Sciences Day Registration
Join with leaders in biotechnology, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biomedical research in Sacramento on Wednesday, March 28 to build support for the issues that matter most to California’s medical innovators.  Attendees will participate in face-to-face meetings with legislators and state government officials; network at a luncheon featuring a keynote address by a leading policy maker; and join legislators and their staffs at a closing reception at the historic Sutter Club.  CHI would like to recognize the sponsors of the event: AdvaMed, Allergan, Amgen, Amylin, BIO, Genentech, Gen-Probe, Gilead, MDMA, MedImmune, NVCA, Pfizer, Phrma and Schering-Plough.  The registration deadline for California Life Sciences Day is Friday, March 16.  Register now.  For more information, visit www.lifesciencesday.org or contact Callie Robbins (858.551.6677 or robbins@chi.org).