May 25, 2018

TO: CLA MEMBERS/ SYSTEMS/ NETWORK CONTACTS

FROM: Mike Dillon and Christina DiCaro, CLA Lobbyists

RE: News From the Capitol

ASSEMBLY BUDGET SUBCOMMITTEE APPROVES LIBRARY FUNDING FOR 2018-19 STATE BUDGET

This week the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance, Chaired by Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, voted unanimously to approve the $9.5 million library funding package that was negotiated between CLA, the State Library, the Department of Finance, and the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC).  The package contains funding for broadband connectivity and speed upgrades, family literacy, and resource-sharing. Last week we reported that the Senate Budget Subcommittee completed their work and similarly adopted the $9.5 million library package. Additionally, the Assembly has recommended several additional library-related items for funding, such as Career Online High School.

What is ideal in the State Budget process, is to have the two houses match up exactly with their actions in Subcommittee.  Because the Assembly and Senate adopted the Governor’s January Budget library proposal exactly as submitted, the following items will not have to be deliberated further in Budget Conference Committee - rather they will now just be written into the Budget bill:

• $2 million in one-time funding for broadband connection grants for public libraries to connect to the high-speed, broadband “backbone” operated by CENIC

• $3 million in one-time funding to increase broadband capacity for libraries connected to CENIC that are in need of upgrading (e.g. from 1 gig to 10 gigs)

• $1.5 million in one-time funds for resource-sharing under CLSA (Intended to be earmarked for the Zip Books program and a program to digitally connect library catalogues.)

• $2.5 million in ongoing funding for family literacy

• $500,000 for an E-rate coordinator position at the State Library, and to address Public Utility Commission imposed taxes and surcharges associated with the library membership in CENIC.

As previously reported, the Senate Budget Chair, Holly Mitchell requested that $1 million in ongoing funds also be provided for “Lunch at the Library,” which was subsequently adopted by the Senate Budget Subcommittee.  The Assembly did not include funding for this program in their Budget, so this item will go to Budget Conference Committee to be deliberated further. (See article below). The Assembly put forward their own recommendations for additional funding this week, and these items will also need to be sent to Budget Conference Committee for reconciliation:  

• $1 million for Career Online High School

• $1 million for the Student Authors program, per AB 2683 by Assemblyman Gipson

• $1 million for completion of the Felton Library and Nature Discovery Park,

• $500,000 in ongoing funding to support the Braille Institute Library in Los Angeles.

BUDGET CONFERENCE COMMITTEE APPOINTED – WORK BEGINS NEXT WEEK

Each year as part of the annual State Budget process, a two-house Budget Conference Committee is appointed for the purpose of reconciling the differences between the Governor’s January Budget and his May Revision, the Assembly version of the Budget, and the Senate Version of the Budget.  Beginning next week, these conferees will go item-by-item through a large binder of appropriations, debating the issues and then attempting to find an agreement, identify a compromise proposal, or reject the item. They must conclude their work well in advance of the June 15th constitutional deadline to send the Budget bill to Governor Brown for his signature.  

This morning the Assembly Speaker named the following Assemblymembers to the Budget Conference Committee:  

Assemblyman Phil Ting, Chair

Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula

Assemblyman Richard Bloom

Assemblyman Rocky Chavez

Assemblyman Jay Obernolte

The Senate Conferees to the Budget Conference Committee are:

Senator Holly Mitchell

Senator Jim Nielsen

Senator John Moorlach

Senator Richard Roth

Senator Nancy Skinner

If you are interested in contacting any of these members regarding the open items named above (e.g. “Lunch at the Library,” Career Online High School) to encourage their support, please use these links to obtain their Capitol address.    

http://senate.ca.gov/senators

http://assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers