Senate approves AB 100 trailer to shore up Medi‑Cal funding; several amendment bids laid on table

The California State Senate on April 17 approved Assembly Bill 100, a budget trailer bill that authorizes $2.8 billion in general‑fund expenditure authority to support Medi‑Cal cash flow and certain wildfire relief actions, after votes to table several floor amendments.

AB 100, presented on the Senate floor by Senator Wiener, authorizes $2,800,000,000 in general‑fund expenditure authority for the 2024–25 fiscal year to ensure the state can pay managed care plans and health‑care providers, and to respond to unanticipated caseload and cost increases in Medi‑Cal. Wiener said the appropriation "ensur[es] sufficient cash flow to pay managed care plans and health care providers" and framed the bill as an effort by the Legislature and governor to preserve health‑care coverage for Californians.

The bill also allows the use of funds authorized in the first extraordinary session for the Eaton and Palisades fires in Los Angeles County to offset property‑tax revenue losses for specified local governments, and appropriates $181,100,000 from Proposition 4 for wildfire prevention and resilience across the state.

Why it matters: The vote addresses an immediate shortfall in Medi‑Cal payments and provides early wildfire relief funding ahead of the regular June budget process; however, multiple legislators said significant related priorities — including long‑term higher education funding and implementation details for voter‑approved Proposition 36 — remain to be addressed during the full budget process.

Floor debate and amendment votes

Senator Alvarado Gill urged restoring cuts to the "middle class scholarship" programs for CSU and UC students and said the restorations would protect affordability for working families. She called her amendment a defense of "a lifeline for working families" and criticized the broader budget for not addressing affordability. The Senate majority leader moved to lay Senator Alvarado Gill's amendments on the table; the motion was approved and the amendments were laid on the table (Ayes 28, Noes 0).

Senator Sayar…