California Senate Republicans’ Plan With Health Cuts Rejected

In a party line vote on Monday, California senators rejected a budget proposal by Republicans that would have avoided tax increases by imposing additional cuts on health and human services programs and borrowing from expected lottery revenue, the Sacramento Bee reports.

The proposal called for another $1.6 billion in budget cuts, largely from health and human services programs (Rojas, Sacramento Bee, 9/9). The cuts would have been in addition to those already proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and Democratic lawmakers.

The budget plan sought to borrow $1.9 billion from future lottery revenue and would have tied limits on future spending increases to inflation and population growth (Zapler, San Jose Mercury News, 9/8).

Thirteen Republican senators voted in favor of the proposal, and 21 Democrats opposed it. Four Democrats and two Republicans did not vote (AP/Los Angeles Daily News, 9/8).

The rejection of the Republican proposal marks the third time in three weeks that legislators voted to oppose a state budget plan (Sacramento Bee, 9/9).

Earlier on Monday, Republican lawmakers held a press conference urging approval of a $12 billion emergency provision to fund health care and social services programs while budget negotiations continued.

However, Democrats decried the maneuver as hypocritical in light of Republicans' proposals to cut funding for health care and social services efforts, the Mercury News reports (San Jose Mercury News, 9/8).

On Monday, KPBS' "KPBS News" included a segment addressing the budget impasse's effect on hospitals and other health care providers (Small, "KPBS News," KPBS, 9/8).