Senate subcommittee passes AB 100 to provide $2.8 billion general fund for Medi‑Cal and fund wildfire, local programs

The Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review (subcommittee) voted to pass Assembly Bill 100 on a recorded roll call after roughly an hour and a half of discussion and public comment. AB 100 is an early‑action “budget bill junior” that gives the administration authority to increase expenditure authority for Medi‑Cal and to reappropriate or augment funds for wildfire response, local assistance and other programs.

AB 100 authorizes $2,800,000,000 in general fund expenditure authority for the Medi‑Cal program in fiscal year 2024–25 and recognizes roughly $8,300,000,000 in matching federal funds related to those adjustments, according to the Department of Finance. The bill also amends control sections enacted in special session to make $2,500,000,000 available for response and recovery needs arising from the Eaton and Palisades fires in Los Angeles County and authorizes augmentations to backfill property‑tax revenue losses for certain local governments in fiscal years 2024–25 and 2025–26.

Why the action matters: committee members and administration witnesses said AB 100 is intended primarily to address a near‑term cash‑flow and cost increase in the Medi‑Cal program so the state can continue timely payments to managed‑care plans, hospitals, clinics and other providers. "This early action budget bill is intended to ensure that this critical healthcare program has sufficient cash flow to continue to pay managed care plans and healthcare providers up and down the state," Erica Lee of the Department of Finance told the committee during the presentation.

Key provisions and amounts - Medi‑Cal: $2.8 billion general fund expenditure authority for 2024–25; administration cited higher caseload and pharmacy costs as major contributors to increased spending. - Federal match: The Department of Finance noted this request aligns with approximately $8.3 billion in expected federal matching funds tied to program expenditures. - Wildfire response and local backfill: The bill authorizes use of funding previously appropriated in special session for the Eaton and Palisades fires and adds language allowing…