SB 440 keeps cancer research donations on state tax returns through 2024, provides vital funding to fight 2nd leading cause of death
October 3, 2017 - SACRAMENTO – Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, announced on Monday that Gov. Jerry Brown has signed his legislation to ensure that Californians can continue to mark boxes on their state tax returns to contribute money to
cancer research.(Left) Senator Robert Hertzberg
SB 440 extends a tax checkoff for cancer research from 2017 through 2024.
“Californians know that cancer research is a very important cause that deserves our support,” Hertzberg said. “This bill continues a significant voluntary funding stream that will help advance scientific understanding of cancer and how to defeat it.”
The California Breast Cancer Research Fund and the California Cancer Research Fund are two of the 19 tax checkoff funds that presently appear on tax returns, but they were scheduled to disappear after 2017 without legislative action. Checkoffs must be renewed every seven years to remain on tax returns.
Each of the two funds receives about $400,000 a year from the tax checkoffs. The University of California Office of the President (UCOP) oversees the two funds and how they distribute grants, using the money for high-impact research.
The California Breast Cancer Research Fund supports new approaches to diagnose, treat and prevent breast cancer, including investigating the causes of breast cancer and improving support networks for underserved Californians.
The California Cancer Research Fund supports research relating to the causes, detection and prevention of cancer, including expanding community-based education on cancer and providing prevention and awareness activities for communities that are heavily afflicted by the disease.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in California and the United States after heart disease. More than 57,000 Californians died of cancer in 2013, the most recent year for complete statistics on causes of death. The bill was sponsored by the UCOP and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.
SB 440 follows legislation Hertzberg authored last year to increase transparency and oversight of charitable contributions made on tax returns. That bill (SB 1476) became law on Jan. 2.
Among its provisions, SB 1476 requires donations to be continuously appropriated to the administering agency. It also requires the administering agency to post online the process for awarding the money, how program funds are awarded and how much is spent on administration.
SB 1476 was the result of a Senate Governance and Finance Committee oversight hearing held in December 2015 that found problems with how the donations are managed. The committee learned that contributions could take years to reach the intended recipient and sometimes money that wasn’t spent ended up reverting to the state general fund.
The state Legislature created the tax checkoff system in 1982, and it has raised more than $102 million for charitable causes. State tax returns currently list 19 checkoffs, and those funds collect, on average, between $4 million and $5 million each year.
Bob Hertzberg, chair of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water, represents nearly 1 million San Fernando Valley residents of Senate District 18, which includes part of Burbank and the following communities in Los Angeles: Arleta, Granada Hills, Hansen Dam, Lake View Terrace, Mission Hills, North Hills, North Hollywood, part of Northridge, Pacoima, Panorama City, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, part of Sun Valley, Sylmar, Toluca Lake, Valley Glen, Valley Village, Van Nuys, the City of San Fernando and Universal City. See a district map at http://sd18.senate.ca.gov/district. After serving in the Assembly from 1996-2002, including two years as Speaker, Hertzberg invested in solar, wind and electric-car projects; and worked for structural changes in government through the Think Long Committee of California. Learn more at www.senate.ca.gov/hertzberg.
Source: Senator Bob Hertzberg
