Posted on | August 16, 2012 | Comments

UC Riverside School of Medicine Research Building

Legislation that would give the UC Riverside Medical School $15 million finally made it to committee Thursday, quickly stalled, and is likely dead for the year.

The bill by Assemblyman Jeff Miller, R-Corona, emerged earlier this summer and had co-authors from across Inland Southern California. It proposed to allocate $15 million to help open the medical school from the states expected settlement of an overbilling case with the Senior Care Action Network (SCAN.)

The bill idled in the Senate Rules Committee for several weeks. Thursday, it was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee, where majority Democrats voted to place it on the suspense file. Later, it was among dozens of bills left on suspense.

There are significant costs, the panels chairwoman, state Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, said during the hearing.

Miller is the Republican candidate for Riverside Countys 31st Senate District, a top fall target of Senate Democrats. In a statement a short while ago, Miller blamed partisan politics for the bills demise.

It is extremely disappointing to see Sacramento Democrats put partisan politics first and block the vital funding needed to get the UC Riverside Medical School off the ground, said Miller. Its clear that the political bosses are more interested in playing political games than improving health care.

Earlier, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, denied that the SD-31 race had anything to do with the bill.

My thoughts are it is premature and there ought to be a public-policy discussion about how to spend those proceeds, he said of the SCAN settlement. Without mentioning Miller, Steinberg alluded to legislative Republicans blanket opposition to new tax revenue.

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UCR Medical School: Funding bill stalls in committee