CA Research Funding Bill Signed by Governor Gavin Newsom with UAEM’s Support
For Immediate Release: October 6, 2026
Contact: Cassidy Parshall, cassidy@uaem.org
SACRAMENTO, CA – On September 30th, Governor Gavin Newsom signed the California Science and Health Research Bond Act (SB 895), officially placing a $7.5 billion dollar bond measure on the March 2028 ballot to fund critical health and science research. Signed atop the Golden Gate Bridge alongside bill author Senator Scott Wiener (D-11), the passage of SB 895 represents hope on the horizon for California science researchers, whose work has been threatened by funding cuts throughout the Trump Administration.
If approved, SB 895 establishes California’s Foundation for Science and Health Research to fund research in fields ranging from behavioral health to climate science. Notably, SB 895 also includes an access provision that distinguishes it from conventional research funding by requiring funding recipients to submit access plans that outline strategies and timelines for equitable access to resulting innovations throughout California, the United States, and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The bill’s access language also emphasizes transparency, requiring recipients to make data available to the broader scientific community, including free access to any resulting publications. The Foundation must also require that funded inventions carry provisions that activate if the World Health Organization declares a public health emergency of international concern for a relevant disease, prioritizing timely and equitable supply, including in LMICs.
Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) views these provisions as key to how SB 895 would drive health equity in the state of California. Public investment in research is foundational to innovation, but often does not reflect who benefits from the resulting therapies. Instead, factors such as cost and supply do; by attaching these access obligations to funding agreements, SB 895 aligns the state’s investment to the public’s interests.
UAEM commends the signing of SB 895 and has remained a strong supporter of the legislation throughout the bill cycle. Students from UAEM’s UCLA chapter met with representatives to garner legislative support for the bill, and submitted position letters (including a letter to Governor Newsom) to reiterate UAEM’s support. UAEM students were able to secure co-authorship from Assembly Member and physician Dr. Joaquin Arambula, reflecting staunch support of SB 895 from the medical community.
“I am proud of the steps that California is taking to not only support our researchers, but also to ensure that innovations developed with public funding are made accessible to our most vulnerable patients,” states Allison Lee, a member of UAEM’s Access committee and first-year medical student at the University of California, San Diego.
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