July 20, 2023
Golden State Republican Women
Janet Price, President
Submitted by the GSRW Legislative Analyst Committee
Karen Contreras, Lou Ann Flaherty and Elaine Freeman,
CALIFORNIA BUDGET 2023-2024
As promised: More information on the Budget
Five billion was cut from the $54 billion in climate projects outlined in the 2021/22 budgets.
The Governor originally had proposed $6 billion cut. Monies available will be used for transit agencies clean energy infrastructure and purchases of zero emission buses, other projects include $1.5 billion in port and freight infrastructure for sea ports to help transform ports to zero emission ports.
Education Budget, K-12 there was an 8.22% cost of living adjustment.
The total Prop. 98 budget will be $108.3 billion. Some funds were cut such as the $200 million decrease in the “Arts, Music, Instructional Materials Discretionary Block Grant”. Districts could use the money on everything from facilities to salaries. The Training Discovery Block Grants were cut by $1.6 billion leaving $613 billion. Included was $399 million for “equity multiplier” for schools with the highest concentrations of socio-economically disadvantaged students.
Homeless funding remained the same at $1 billion.
It is estimated there are 171,524 homeless in California. Since 2018/19, the State has allocated $21 billion to housing and homelessness.
Additional funding of $200 million was added to the “California Dream for All” down payment assistance program. The original allocation was $300 million and was committed within 11 days.
For Covered California, there will be on-going investment.
There is a Managed Care Organization tax levied on medical and commercial health insurance that helps the State receive matching federal dollars. Health plans agreed to this because eventually the organizations will be paid back.
For Cal Fresh
There is $35 million for the California Nutrition Incentive Program to help Cal Fresh participants buy healthy food from farmer’s markets. Also includes $9.9 million in one-time money for a fresh fruit and vegetables pilot program and $3 million for clean drinking water.
These are just a sampling of the overall budget but give some understanding of the complexity as well as the number of agencies affected. Now that the budget has been adopted, there will be trailer -bills for implementing the budget. These bills are not supposed to be policy in nature, however, that is not always the case. As a result, some of these budget items could change or include other requirements affecting policy.
Of further interest!
SB 275, State Oil and Gas Supervisor: Senate confirmation.
Existing law establishes the Geologic Energy Management Division in the Department of Conservation, under the direction of the State Oil and Gas Supervisor, who is required to supervise the drilling, operation, maintenance, and abandonment of oil and gas wells, as provided.
This bill would expressly state that the Governor shall appoint the supervisor and make the appointment of the supervisor subject to confirmation by the Senate.
Passed the Assembly on 06/27/2023
Passed the Senate on 06/28/2023
Presented to the Governor on 07/05/2023
VETOED BY THE GOVERNOR ON 07/13/2023
Bill back to the Senate with consideration of Governor’s veto pending
AB 466, Vehicles: violations.
Existing law authorizes a court to permit or order a person who has been convicted of, or plead to, a traffic violation, as specified, to attend traffic violator school. Under existing law, such a person who completes traffic violator school shall have their conviction remain confidential and shall not be assessed traffic violation points, as specified. Under existing law, the willful failure to attend traffic violator school if so ordered by the court is punishable as a misdemeanor.
This bill would remove provisions making the failure to attend traffic violator school a misdemeanor and would clarify that the failure to attend traffic violator school is not punishable as a new offense. The bill would further clarify that the underlying conviction of a person who fails to attend traffic school shall not be confidential and the person shall have traffic violation points assessed as applicable.
Passed the Assembly and Senate and presented to the governor on 07/11/2023.
California Legislature currently on Summer Recess until August 13th.
Many hearings scheduled for August 14th: (check it out)
https://legiscan.com/CA/legislation?status=scheduled
To contact your U.S. Representatives, call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121
Legislative Portal links- Express your support or opposition to a bill or directly to the Legislative committee currently reviewing it (as an individual, not as a member of GSRW)– click here, or the bill’s author- click here, enter your bill # and look for tab at top of the bill page labeled “Comments to Author”
