Budget Crunch Time at the State Capitol!
CSAC Urging County Officials to Support Budget Priorities
The Legislative Budget Conference Committee has begun working through differences between the Senate and Assembly budget plans, with the expectation of completing their work by the end of this week.There are significant differences between the Senate and Assembly versions of the budget, with each including significant new investments in programs over and above the Governor’s budget proposals. The estimated differences between the two plans and the Governor’s May Revision range from $2 to $4 billion, which means the Governor and legislative leadership will have considerable differences to resolve by June 15.
CSAC’s letter to the Budget Conference Committee focuses on preserving the $500 million in revenue lease bonds for jail facilities targeted at treatment beds and the other public safety proposals contained in the Governor’s January budget. We also continue to fight for the $100 million to begin repaying the pre-2004 mandates that was included in the Governor’s May Revision. While this item is not technically in conference, as both the Assembly and Senate Budget Committees rejected the Governor’s proposal, there will be a conference committee discussion on the differing approaches to pay down debt on the non-Proposition 98 side of the budget.
You will also see that we have recommendations for expenditure of Cap and Trade Auction revenues. We also support an increased local share of the transportation loan payback, funding for MIOCR (Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction) grant program, and funding for housing assistance for CalWORKS recipients.
In addition to these priorities currently under consideration in the Budget Conference Committee, CSAC continues to advocate for other budget priorities consistent with our board adopted priorities for 2014; restoring funding for state Payment In-lieu of Taxes (PILT), providing an additional $87 million for AB 109 implementation, and supporting $100 million for crisis intervention and wrap-around services to support the rehabilitation of our new jail populations, to name a few.
Please continue to contact the conferees and legislative leaders in support of these priorities. We fully expect the $100 million in early mandate loan repayment to be decided in budget negotiations between the Governor and legislative leaders so, it is critical that leadership understand the importance of this funding and other CSAC priorities. The conferees are Assembly Member Skinner (Chair), Senator Leno (Vice-chair), Senators Hancock, Lara, and Nielsen, and Assembly Members Weber, Bloom, and Gorell.
We will continue to update you on ongoing budget activities as the June 15 deadline draws near.