SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Today, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 703 into law, giving California taxpayers the option to voluntarily donate a portion of their state tax return to support childhood cancer research starting January 2026. The bill was introduced by Asm. Alex Lee (D-San Jose) and co-sponsored by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) and the Neev Kolte & Brave Ronil Foundation.
Cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease for children in the United States: 1 in 5 children diagnosed with the disease will not survive. Yet, less than 8% of the federal government’s cancer research budget is allocated towards childhood cancer, an already severe funding gap that threatens to widen.
“With the unprecedented proposed cuts to research funding at the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute, it’s more urgent than ever that we, as Californians, are able to step up to ensure critical cancer research doesn’t slow down or stop,” said Jen Grand-Lejano, ACS CAN Pacific region managing director. “This new law will make it easier for the public to help fund promising childhood cancer research, bringing hope to families facing a heartbreaking diagnosis.”
The largest share of funding for late-stage drug development for adult cancers typically comes from private industry. However, there is little financial incentive for private companies to invest in childhood cancer research, as the patient population impacted by it is much smaller.
“I lost my brother Ronil to Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), a rare and aggressive brain cancer with a near-zero survival rate,” said Sahil Mehta, ACS CAN legislative ambassador. “Before he passed away, he donated his tumor for cancer research to find ways to treat DIPG. Ronil never lost hope, and neither can we.”
After learning about two existing voluntary contribution funds that had raised nearly $6 million over the last six years for cancer research in California, Mehta reached out to Asm. Lee to introduce a bill aimed at creating a similar fund focused on childhood cancer.
“This legislation gives Californians a direct way to help keep hope alive for a future where more kids can grow up and thrive despite a cancer diagnosis,” said Mehta.
Mehta and Rayaan Kolte, another young ACS CAN volunteer who also lost his brother, Neev, to DIPG, played a key role in ensuring the bill reached the governor’s desk. They rallied support from state lawmakers and testified in legislative hearings.
“DIPG has been known since the 1960s, and the standard of care still hasn’t changed,” said Kolte during the Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation hearing on April 7. “Neil Armstrong’s daughter got diagnosed with DIPG, and he said, ‘How can they send me to the moon but cannot cure my daughter?’” added Kolte and then asked, “How many more decades must go by before we have a cure for this deadly disease?”
As part of the Neev Kolte & Brave Ronil Foundation, Mehta and Kolte, along with their families, are dedicated to raising awareness about childhood cancer and supporting research projects.
For more information on how ACS CAN is advocating for cancer patients, survivors, and their families at the local, state, and federal levels, visit fightcancer.org.