(Sacramento, CA) – Yesterday the Governor signed AB 49, which authorizes the creation of a Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Awareness specialty license plate. Money raised through the plate will fund the “Every Woman Counts” program that provides low-cost and no-cost mammograms for women in need.
“As a mother, sister, friend, colleague, and in my role as an Assemblymember, I have seen firsthand the devastating and far-reaching effect breast cancer has had on so many families in the State of California”, Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan said. “Almost two years ago, a group of four courageous women, each with gripping stories about their struggle with this terrible disease, came to me with a great idea – a Pink Breast Cancer Awareness specialty license plate. I cannot think of a better way to proudly display our support for women battling breast cancer and to remind all of us that early detection saves lives.”
Heather McCullough, of Discovery Bay, representing the “Survivor Sisters” said “We are so happy that we were able to reach a compromise with the Senate and that we finally can share the exciting news with our more than 7,500 supporters who have stood by us for the past two years. Our dream is finally becoming a reality and as we have always said, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade….in our case we made Pink Lemonade!”
Now that the bill has been signed, the California Department of Health Care Services will work with the Department of Motor Vehicles to develop the pink ribbon plate. DMV must have at least 7,500 commitments to purchase the plate.
For more information, go to http://asmdc.org/members/a16
About California Pink Plate
At the time of the Governors Signature, the Pink Plate campaign gathered a total of 7,878 signatures. Before the plates will be made, they needed 7,500 signatures.
Where will the money go?
All funds generated from sales of the California Pink Plate will be deposited into the Breast Cancer Control Account, which funds the Every Woman Counts (EWC) program. EWC is administered by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and provides free clinical breast exams and mammograms to California’s underserved women.
The mission of the EWC is to save lives by preventing and reducing the devastating effects of cancer for Californians through education, early detection, diagnosis, and integrated preventive services, with special emphasis on the underserved. The Every Woman Counts program partners with county departments of public health and county health consortia across California to provide women with local, easy access to screenings.
We know that early detection is critical in treating breast cancer and increasing survival rates. Money generated from the California Pink Plate will allow more women across California to get regular breast exams and mammograms, potentially saving the lives of countless of women.
Here is a look at AB 49
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 5156.7 is added to the Vehicle Code, to read:
5156.7.
(a) The State Department of Health Care Services shall apply to the department, pursuant to Section 5156, to sponsor a breast cancer awareness license plate program. The department shall issue specialized license plates for that program if the State Department of Health Care Services complies with the requirements of Section 5156.
SEC. 2.
This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
