06-23-04 Update:
Unfortunately, SB1275 failed passage in the Assembly Health Committee and will not be reconsidered. We received 6 votes in favor, 7 against, and 7 abstained or were absent.

I want to thank all of you who supported this important effort and were instrumental in helping to move the bill forward. Although the bill is no longer alive, I consider it a great victory that we were able to take it this far. As many of you know, a similar bill 2 years ago died in the first committee after only receiving 2 votes (including the vote of the author).

Yet, this bill passed out of 2 committees and the senate floor, in spite of the power and influence of the formula companies who were lobbying extremely hard against the bill. There have been many lessons learned from this process that can only serve to make us stronger. I also believe that we raised awareness about breastfeeding issues in the legislature, as well as brought greater attention to the issue of formula marketing. Many still don't see the negative impact of this, but I believe that with controversial issues, it takes time and several attempts before we can achieve a full victory.

We hope that this is just the beginning and that we can continue pushing forward. We will be having a discussion about the difficult legislative process and the lessons learned from this effort at the upcoming statewide breastfeeding promotion advisory committee meeting. We hope that this will spark an ongoing dialogue within the breastfeeding community aimed at increasing our advocacy skills. There is also a possibility that we may have a legislative hearing on breastfeeding issues prior to the next legislative session.

Thanks again for all your help and support!!

Luz Chacon

06-17-04 Update:
SB1275 will be heard in the Assembly Health Committee this Tuesday, June 22nd.  This may be a very tough vote so your support is critical to keeping the bill alive.  Please take a few minutes to do one or both of the following.

Please fax a letter of support to the Assembly Health Committee Members on behalf of your organizations.  If you are not able to send on behalf of your organization, then send letters as an individual.

If you are a constituent of any of the Health Committee Members, please make a call to your Assembly member.  To find out who your assembly member is, go to www.leginfo.ca.gov or www.assembly.ca.gov

• Fact Sheet: Summary of Background (WORD Document updated 06-18-04)

• Sample Letter to Senate Appropriations Committee (WORD Document updated 06-18-04)

• Assembly Health Committee Roster (WORD Document updated 06-18-04)

Letters must be sent by Monday, 6/21/04. If you send a letter, please fax a copy then put the original in the mail. Please also fax a copy to Luz Chacon at 213-745-1040.

For a copy of a bill, and to "subscribe" to a bill, go to www.leginfo.ca.gov. To subscribe to the listserve that keeps up with this particular bill, send a message to CABFlegislation - subscribe@topica.com.

06-09-04 Update:
Informed Infant Feeding Choices SB1275 (Ortiz )passed  the Senate on Thursday, May 27 with 21 votes.  Next it will move to the State Assembly. 

The next stop is the Assembly Health Committee, no date assigned, but probably June 15-22. This has become a controversial and closely watched bill. As the bill stands, it recommends evidenced-based training for hospital staff for assisting a mother with her infant feeding choice, includes an endorsement disclaimer on the discharge bags regarding the hospital or health care provider, and restricts formula marketing materials in the maternity and postpartum units. The bill also authorizes a task force at DHS to consider evidence-based hospital models that promote breastfeeding. While a long way from the original language, the bill is a step in the right direction by both addressing the marketing of formula in the hospitals and assisting mothers while in the hospital make informed infant feeding choices. For a copy of a bill, and to "subscribe" to a bill, go to www.leginfo.ca.gov. To subscribe to the listserve that keeps up with this particular bill, send a message to CABFlegislation - subscribe@topica.com.

05-27-04 Update:
Passed out of the Senate on Thursday, May 27 with 21 votes.  Next it will move to the State Assembly. You can view the amended bill by visiting www.leginfo.ca.gov.

05-03-04 Update:
SB1275 will be voted in the Senate Appropriations Committee on May 10, 2004. Please send letters to the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee on behalf of your organization urging them to vote in favor of the bill on 5/10.

We know this is very short notice, but we urgently need your support to ensure that this bill passes out of committee. This could be our last chance! Please do all you can to support this important legislation.

04-22-04 Update:
SB1275 passed out of the Senate Health & Human Services Committee yesterday. It was very difficult and took a great deal of lobbying, but we did receive the 7 votes needed. The next step will be appropriations committee where the fiscal impact will be considered.

Thank you to all those who have been supporting the bill and sent letters to the members urging their vote.

04-19-04 Update:

Since the hearing on 3/24, we have been working on a variety of amendments to the bill aimed at addressing some of the concerns raised by the opposition as well as by the Senators on the Health & Human Services Committee. You can view the amended bill by visiting www.leginfo.ca.gov.

This website allows you to subscribe to the bill so you can receive an email alert every time there is any action taken.

We also had visits with some of the senators and/or their staff this week and are continuing to communicate with them to address their concerns and urge their Aye vote. The bill will be up as a vote-only item on 4/21/04.  

03-25-04 Update from Luz Chacon:
The good news is that the bill is still alive. There was a motion to reconsider and all voted in favor so reconsideration was granted. A second vote will take place probably some time in April. This gives us time to make further amendments to address some of the concerns and continue to lobby some of the members.

Thank you to all of those who helped to support this bill. A special thank you to our supporters who testified: Dr. Nancy Wight and Carol Melcher, as well as other supporters who were there with us. We still need your ongoing support. The fight is not over!!

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The SB 1275 Listserve has been developed to provide a forum for dialog, on going updates and to action alert announcements. 

To subscribe to the list email: CABFlegislation-subscribe@topica.com

The Official California Legislative Information site is www.leginfo.ca.gov

You can subscribe to be automatically notified when action is taken on the bill you are interested in.  We encourage you to go to this site and sign up for updates on SB 1275.