Gov. Expected to Sign CURES Funding Bill, Ballot Initiative Looms

By Greg Jones, Western Bureau ChiefCalifornia lawmakers approved a bill that would impose a $6 licensing fee on health care providers and pharmacists to pay for updates to the state’s prescription drug-monitoring program, but voters will have to decide whether providers should be required to use the database when prescribing certain medications.The Senate on Tuesday signed off on amendments to SB 809 and sent the bill by Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, to Gov. Jerry Brown. The bill would assess an annual $6 fee on physicians, podiatrists, pharmacists, nurse practitioners and other provi...