May 21, 2015

TO:                  CLA MEMBERS/ SYSTEMS/ NETWORK CONTACTS

FROM:           Mike Dillon, CLA Lobbyist
                        Christina DiCaro, CLA Lobbyist 

RE:                 News From the Capitol

Senate Budget Subcommittee Provides Additional Funding FOR LIBRARIES DURING HEARING

Late yesterday afternoon, the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance voted unanimously to approve extra funding for public libraries.  The Subcommittee members voting for the extra funding were Chairman Marty Block, and Senators Ben Allen and John Moorlach. 

The Senate voted to adopt the so-called CLA “Budget Ask” which was also outlined in a letter authored by Assemblyman Gatto and 28 Senators and Assemblymembers asking both subcommittees to adopt additional library funding for the following programs:     

• $4 million for the California Library Services Act;
• $4 million for grants to public libraries to upgrade broadband equipment associated with the statewide broadband plan for libraries;
• $225K to run the administration of the broadband program;
• $2 million for the State Literacy Program. 

The Senate proposal also provides additional funding for the following:

• $1 million for the Career Online High School literacy program;
• $521K to digitize historical documents at the State Library. 

While this is good news, the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance this afternoon was not similarly inclined, and they opted to only adopt the Governor’s May Revise proposed amounts, which, as reported previously, provides: $2 million for literacy, $1.5 million for the connection grants, $225K for the administration for the broadband program, and $521K for the State Library’s digitization project. 

CLA was disappointed that the non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office opposed any amount of new funding for the libraries. 

Because there is a difference between the actions of the two houses, this will force the items into the “Budget Conference Committee,” (which has yet to be named) where the differences will have to be reconciled.  The Conference Committee could begin its work as early as late next week and the final Budget must be adopted by the June 15^th Constitutional deadline. 

Stay tuned for additional information regarding how you can weigh in with the Conference Committee members in the coming days.