California leg roundup: beer, erectile dysfunction and the FPPC

The following first appeared in Capitol Weekly As the weather heats up in Sacramento, so does the legislating. This month dozens of bills are moving from committees to the floor, across the rotunda and back again. This week Capitol Weekly is taking a look at some of the less-noticed measures up for consideration. And we start with everyone's favorites: sex, drugs and alcohol. Newly elected Assembly Republican leader George Plescia, R-San Diego, is pushing a measure to take popular erectile-dysfunction (ED) drugs like Viagra off the list of medications covered by state's Medi-Cal laws. The bill, A.B. 2885, would make it so Medi-Cal can only cover those ED drugs subsidized by federal payments. But ED medications are not eligible for federal financial assistance. The bill is sponsored by the Department of Health Services, which estimates savings of $1 million. This is the second piece of ED legislation that Plescia has carried in as many years. Last year, he introduced a measure to prevent registered sex offenders from access to ED drugs under the Medi-Cal program. Senator Kevin Murray, D-Los Angeles, is carrying alcohol legislation. In February, Murray introduced a measure to allow for beer tasting in the state--with sample servings of up to 12 ounces. The measure is co-sponsored by Anheuser-Busch, which argues that the current lack of free beer tasting "makes it difficult for the beer industry to compete in California." But the measure met opposition from within the beer community, including industry heavyweights Coors, Miller and Heineken. At the end of April, Murray stripped his S.B. 1548 of any legal language, leaving it as a simple intent bill, though it remains scheduled for a hearing on May 10. Murray's office says the senator and Anheuser-Busch intend to continue to push the legislation this year. Read the rest...here.