01.20.10: Budget Update
By David Walrath
On January 19th the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee heard the Governor’s Budget proposals regarding Proposition 98 funding. It was a hearing where all Committee members were present, not just the three members who sit on the subcommittee that acts on the education funding proposal.
The Legislative Analyst (LAO) presented the issues and attempted to explain the complexities of Proposition 98 to Committee members who had never previously been briefed on education funding. The Committee asked a lot of questions and the members who are not on the education subcommittee generally were not happy that the voters had set priorities rather than let the legislators set priorities.
While the Governor has asked for quick action on his budget proposals, the LAO urged caution because there is not enough information available to know the real Proposition 98 minimum funding guarantee. The LAO also indicated that there could be legal problems with the Governor’s proposed funding level for Proposition 98. Click here to view the LAO’s presentation material.
