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Budget Conference Committee Approves Additional PLF Funding
TO: CLA Members/ Systems/ Network Contacts
FROM: Mike Dillon, CLA Lobbyist and Christina Dillon, CLA Lobbyist
RE: News From The Capitol
BUDGET CONFERENCE COMMITTEE APPROVES AN ADDITIONAL $1 MILLION FOR PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION
Yesterday afternoon the powerful six member Budget Conference Committee met to consider approximately 100 remaining items that have yet to be finalized as part of the State Budget negotiations. You will recall from our previous memos that the Budget Conference Committee is charged with reconciling the difference between the Senate Version of the Budget, the Assembly Version of the Budget, and what the Governor proposed in his January Budget and May Revision. On Tuesday, the Conference Committee voted to augment the Public Library Foundation by $1 million, which, if approved by the Governor when he signs the Budget, would bring the PLF total baseline to $22.3 million.
Almost one month ago, Senators Joe Simitian and Jack Scott, as members of the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, approved a $2 million augmentation to the PLF and forwarded their recommendation to the Budget Conference Committee. The Assembly Budget Subcommittee suggested no increase to the PLF baseline, which forced the PLF issue into Conference Committee to be resolved. Due to the state's tight fiscal condition right now (primarily due to a dip in personal income tax receipts and the lagging housing market), we knew it would be a challenge even to hold on to the $2 million augmentation.
On June 1 the Conference Committee began meeting regularly, and would attempt to "close" items where there was consensus. The first time the conferees addressed the PLF item, Budget Conference Committee Co-Chair Assemblyman John Laird asked if action on the item could be deferred. Senator Denise Ducheny, the other Co-Chair of the Conference Committee then added, "That is fine, but I would like to speak to this. This is particularly frustrating for us (the Senate). In the 1990's we were working to get the fund up. We were at $56 million in 2000, and then we were back down to $21 million last year. This is not helpful to the folks in our communities who are trying to learn to read. We have been creeping back up in recent years, but I want to make some progress here." The Conference Committee passed on the item and it was tabled until June 13. On June 13, the conferees again tried to close the item but were not ready yet, and hinted at "splitting the difference" between the two houses, which would be $1 million. Then yesterday the conferees again raised the issue of funding for the PLF with the Chair announcing that the committee was prepared to reduce the Senate Version by $1 million and leave a $1 million augmentation for the fund. Senator Dennis Hollingsworth asked the Department of Finance, "What is in the Governor's May Revise?" The representative for Finance responded, "The base for the program is $21.3 million. We didn't provide funding beyond the base." The Conference Committee then moved to approve the $1 million augmentation and it passed with all four Democrats voting "aye" and the two Republican members voting "no."
The Conference Committee is currently unable to close the remaining large scale items before them which include funding for Proposition 98, discussion on several major water issues related to the water bond implementation, as well as prison reform/corrections. The so-called "Big 4," consisting of Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, Senate President pro Tem Don Perata, Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines, and Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman, met yesterday to try to come to agreement on the major areas of contention. Also clouding the discussions is the need to address how the tribal compacts, that were previously approved by the Governor, will be implemented, as union groups are demanding that provisions to allow for the protection of casino workers be included in the compacts. Rumors abound that there may be a push for a resolution soon on all of these items so that a Budget could be on the respective Floors of each house by the June 30th deadline.
Posted on June 21, 2007 7:14 AM | Permalink