State Sen. Richard Pan rose to national prominence by muscling through some of the country’s strongest vaccination laws. He is leaving the state legislature after a momentous tenure that made him a top target of the anti-vaccination movement.
FILE - In this May 22, 2019, file photo, State Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, calls on lawmakers to approve his measure to toughen the rules for vaccination exemptions in Sacramento, Calif. An anti-vaccine activist has been cited for assault after pushing Pan on a sidewalk near the Capitol. Kenneth Austin Bennett livestreamed the confrontation on his Facebook page. It shows him shoving Pan in the back after questioning him on vaccinations.
A California lawmaker who rose to national prominence by muscling through some of the country’s strongest vaccination laws is leaving the state legislature later this year after a momentous tenure that made himState Sen.
“It got really vicious, and the tenor of these protests inside the Capitol building didn’t make you feel safe, yet he stood his ground,” said Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health from 2015 to 2019. “Dr. Pan is unusual because he has the knowledge and belief in science, but also the conviction to act on it.”
“That takes courage,” she added. “He’s had a tremendous impact in California, and there’s going to be a hole in the legislature when he’s gone.”that restrict state lawmakers to 12 years of service. He has overseen state budget decisions on health care and since 2018 has chaired the Senate Health Committee, a powerful position that has allowed him to shape health care coverage for millions of Californians.
Pan, 56, helped lead the charge to restore vision, dental, and other benefits to California’s Medicaid program, called Medi-Cal, after they were slashed during the Great Recession. Since then, he has pushed to expandHe was instrumental in implementing the Affordable Care Act in California, and when Republicans attacked the law after Donald Trump was elected president, Pan spearheaded measures to cement its provisions in state law.
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