(The Center Square) \u2013 The California Assembly on Monday afternoon approved $90 million in funding for Planned Parenthood.<\/p>\n
The contentious debate on the Assembly floor highlighted the rift between the Democratic majority and the conservative Republican caucus before the funding bill passed, along party lines, with 55 “ayes” and 10 “no” votes. The budget bill now goes to the Senate for a vote.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis bill would backfill $90 million in federal funding that has been stripped away from community clinics that offer abortion services,\u201d Assembly Budget Committee chair Jesse Gabriel, D-Encino, said on the floor during the debate. \u201cUnder such circumstances, California cannot and will not stand idly by. Despite our budget challenges, we must step up to defend Planned Parenthood, to defend reproductive freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Senate Bill 106<\/a>, the Planned Parenthood funding resolution, was the result of talks between Planned Parenthood and California lawmakers, according to state officials who testified during a recent Senate Budget Committee hearing on the bill. The $90 million allocation would be a one-time expenditure from the state\u2019s general fund. The funding package was recently approved by California senators in a public hearing on the bill on Thursday, The Center Square previously reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n The money would technically be available to other nonprofit health care providers who specialize in reproductive health care, family planning and abortion services, according to the budget bill.<\/p>\n The legislation was introduced in light of Planned Parenthood, a well-known family planning provider, losing million of dollars from previous federal funding. During summer 2025, H.R. 1<\/a>, otherwise known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed Congress and was signed into law by President Donald Trump. The latest federal budget keeps taxpayer money from going to organizations like Planned Parenthood.<\/p>\n \u201cUnder the original text of SB 106, we would be funneling millions of dollars to a nonprofit with little to no transparency at a time when it feels like every week brings another case of corruption or misuse of public funds,\u201d Assemblymember David Tangipa, R-Fresno, said on the floor during the debate. \u201cWe should be moving towards greater accountability, not away from it.\u201d<\/p>\n The budget resolution comes at a time when the state is struggling with an estimated $18 billion budget shortfall<\/a>, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst\u2019s Office, although Gov. Gavin Newsom pointed to a much smaller figure \u2013 $2.9 million \u2013 in his budget proposal<\/a> released in January. Much of the state\u2019s budget woes come from constitutionally-mandated spending requirements over education-related spending, The Center Square previously reported, but the state\u2019s $99 billion debt load<\/a> and an inability to backfill federal cuts to Medi-Cal<\/a> cuts add additional challenges to the state\u2019s financial situation.<\/p>\n \u201cNo matter where you stand on the issue of abortion, it\u2019s a profoundly personal decision,\u201d Assemblymember Carl DeMaio, R-San Diego, said on the Assembly floor during debate on the bill. \u201cBut let\u2019s be clear; this is not about choice or access to abortion services. Anyone paying attention will realize it\u2019s nothing more than a reward for a politically powerful group.\u201d<\/p>\n