Budget Deal Fails in Lame-Duck Session of California Legislature
On Tuesday, the California Legislature did not approve a plan by Democrats to address the state's growing budget deficit that would have cut health and welfare programs "less deeply" than a proposal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) would have, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Wildermuth, San Francisco Chronicle, 11/26).
The governor's plan would have cut the budget for the state Health and Human Services Agency by about $950 million in the current budget year and set the stage for a $3 billion cut for fiscal year 2009-2010 (California Healthline, 11/7).
Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) had spoken out against the proposed cuts to health and human services programs (California Healthline, 11/25).
Addressing the budget deficit now will fall to incoming state legislators, who will take office on Dec. 1.
The governor plans to declare a fiscal emergency that same day, beginning a special session with a 45-day deadline for action on the budget (Sanders, Sacramento Bee, 11/26).
The Bee's "Capitol Alert" posted a summary of the budget plan lawmakers rejected (Goldmacher, "Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 11/25). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.