California Community Health Fund.

Existing law provides for various programs that prevent disease and promote health. This bill would establish the California Community Health Fund in the State Treasury, and would require moneys in the fund to be used, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to diminish the human and economic costs of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and dental disease, and to reduce inequitable disparities in health between population groups, in California. This bill would, on and after July 1, 2018, impose a tax, except as specified, on the sale or transfer of any sugar-sweetened beverage product, as defined, by the distributor of the product equal to $0.02 per fluid ounce and would deposit all fees, interest, penalties, and other amounts collected pursuant to these provisions into the fund. The bill would also require the State Department of Public Health to create an advisory committee to advise the state on the allocation of revenue and other issues related to this tax. This bill would include a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature.