Brown Releases Draft Bill To Place Temporary Tax Measure Before Voters

Gov. Jerry Brown's (D) administration recently released a draft bill to place temporary tax hikes on a June ballot as part of his budget plan, the Sacramento Bee's "Capitol Alert" reports (Yamamura, "Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 3/1).

Background

Brown has proposed $12.5 billion in spending cuts and $12 billion in temporary tax extensions to help close a $26.6 billion budget shortfall over 18 months. His plan calls for more than $6 billion in cuts to health care and welfare-to-work services for low-income residents.

If lawmakers and voters do not approve the proposed tax extensions, Brown said he would only approve a budget that cuts more than $25 billion from state services, including health and human service programs (California Healthline, 2/25).

Details of Tax Plan Draft

The ballot measure -- called the Public Safety and Public Education Act of 2011 -- would ask voters to extend higher income taxes through 2015 and higher taxes on sales and vehicles through June 2016.

The measure was drafted as a constitutional amendment, meaning that two-thirds of the Legislature must vote to put it on the ballot. Brown wants legislators to pass the bill by next week ("Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 3/1).