The financing of a new central health care facility for inmates at San Quentin State Prison is in limbo, after legislation to pay for the plan failed this afternoon to pass the state Senate.

At issue is a new $146 million medical care center at the prison, a project designed by Robert Sillen, the federal court-appointed prison health care receiver. Last month, Assembly Republicans demanded that the project be paid for out of the $7.9 billion in prison bond package approved by the Legislature and Governor Schwarzenegger earlier this year.

Legislation to do that, SB 99, passed out of the Assembly on July 12 by a vote of 72-5. But this morning, that plan ran smack into a wall of opposition in the Senate… opposition based on a myriad of reasons.

Some Republicans opposed the plan on principle, with Sen. Jeff Denham (R-Merced) saying it would provide for “state of the art medical care for the killers and rapists.”

Meanwhile, some Democrats said SB 99 is the wrong way to solve the problems related to prison medical care. “This bill,” said Sen. Mike Machado (D-Linden), “does not send a message of cooperation to the courts… This is nothing more than another game playing that’s taken place within the Legislature.”

(Machado was the author of a bill to float separate bonds for the San Quentin project. That bill, SB 943, was killed in the Assembly.)

When the votes were tallied, the San Quentin health care bond stalled 21-14, as it needs 27 votes to be sent to the governor.

The bill has been granted reconsideration — meaning it can be taken up again — but today’s debate clearly raises some warning signs about the financing for Sillen’s prison health care plans. And as the receiver said last month in a speech to the Sacramento Press Club, he’s prepared to do whatever it takes to get the cash.