The Assembly Committee on Health approved Assembly Bill 1279 by Assemblymember Rudy Salas.

The bill directs resources to address Valley Fever, a disease that affects thousands of residents per year in California.

The bill will allocate $2 million for Valley Fever research, require annual education and awareness outreach, and establish a workgroup to improve monitoring of Valley Fever. 

Between 1999 and 2011 the rate of infection of Valley Fever in California rose more than 600 percent, according to the Center for Disease Control.

AB 1279 advances to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations.