Bill Text: CA SB607 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District: contributions and loans.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4)

Status: (Engrossed) 2026-06-23 - From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on L. GOV. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (June 22). Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV. [SB607 Detail]

Download: California-2025-SB607-Amended.html

Amended  IN  Senate  January 05, 2026
Amended  IN  Senate  September 12, 2025
Amended  IN  Senate  May 28, 2025
Amended  IN  Senate  May 13, 2025
Amended  IN  Senate  May 01, 2025
Amended  IN  Senate  March 24, 2025

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill
No. 607


Introduced by Senator Wiener
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Solache)

February 20, 2025


An act to add Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 11899) to Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, relating to the California Science and Health Research Bond Act, by providing the funds necessary therefor through an election for the issuance and sale of bonds of the State of California and for the handling and disposition of those funds. An act to amend Section 92900 of the Education Code, relating to the University of California.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 607, as amended, Wiener. California Science and Health Research Bond Act. University of California: California Institutes for Science and Innovation.
Existing law authorizes the Regents of the University of California to establish 4 California Institutes for Science and Innovation at separate campuses of the University of California for specified purposes. Existing law authorizes the concentration of each institute to include, among other concentrations, medicine, bioengineering, or space.
This bill would explicitly authorize the concentration of an institute to include artificial intelligence.

Existing law establishes various grant and loan programs for research, including, among others, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, California Firefighter Cancer Prevention and Research Program, and the Public Interest Research, Development, and Demonstration Program.

This bill would establish the California Foundation for Science and Health Research within the Government Operations Agency. The bill would create the California Foundation for Science and Health Research Fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, and require the moneys in the fund to be used by the foundation to award grants and make loans to public or private research companies, universities, institutes, and organizations for scientific research and development, in specific areas of research, including, but not limited to, biomedical, behavioral, and climate research.

This bill would create the California Foundation for Science and Health Research Council, as specified. The bill would require the council to, among other things, develop the strategic objectives and priorities of the foundation and determine the research projects that will be funded by the California Foundation for Science and Health Research Fund, as specified. The bill would require a majority vote by the appointed members for the council for the approval of funding for any research project or proposal presented for funding. The bill would authorize the council to establish one or more scientific peer review panels consisting of experts in specified fields of research for the purposes of reviewing and prioritizing proposals on the basis of the track record of the investigators, scientific merit of the proposal, and potential benefit to the health and well-being of the population, natural resources, and environment of the state.

This bill would require all research and development funded by the California Foundation for Science and Health Research Fund to be conducted under established standards of open scientific exchange, peer review, and public oversight. The bill would require the funds to be awarded on the basis of the research priorities established for the foundation by the council and the scientific merit of the proposed research, as determined by an open, competitive, scientific peer review process that ensures objectivity, consistency, and high quality.

This bill would enact the California Science and Health Research Bond Act, which, if approved by the voters, would authorize the issuance of bonds in the amount of $23,000,000,000, pursuant to the State General Obligation Bond Law, to finance grants and loans to fund research and construct, operate, and maintain facilities for research.

The bill would provide for the submission of the bond act to the voters at the next statewide general election.

Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.

This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.

Vote: TWO_THIRDSMAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YESNO   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 92900 of the Education Code is amended to read:

92900.
 (a) The Regents of the University of California may establish four California Institutes for Science and Innovation at separate campuses of the University of California for the purpose of combining technological and scientific research and training and educating future scientists and technological leaders.
(b) Each institute shall be created pursuant to a competitive application process conducted by a panel selected by the Governor and administered by the University of California.
(c) In order to utilize use the vast array of research and intellectual resources available from throughout the state, each institute may develop programs in cooperation with the private sector and with California’s other public and independent colleges and universities.
(d) The concentration of each institute may include, but shall not necessarily be limited to, any of the following:
(1) Medicine.
(2) Bioengineering.
(3) Telecommunications and information systems.
(4) Energy resources.
(5) Space.
(6) Agricultural technology.
(7) Artificial intelligence.
(e) Funding for the state’s share of operating and facilities costs under this chapter is subject to appropriation in the annual Budget Act.

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