Copyright© 1999 by School Services of California, Inc.
1999-2000 State Budget and Trialer Bills Move to Governor
Assembly Republican legislators ended their 24-hour holdout on State Budget adoption June 16th by adding three small tax cuts to the total package, adopting the bill with only 10 "no" votes and then striking their tents and declaring victory. While the delay meant that the Legislature once again missed its constitutional deadline of getting a Budget Bill to the Governor by midnight on June 15, the June 16th adoption is the earliest in more than a dozen years. The legislature's final votes were overwhelmingly in support - the Senate passed the Budget Bill 36 to 3 and the Assembly 69 to 10.
While the Legislature debated the Budget Bill, staffers continued to hammer out the details of the Budget trailer bills that contain so much of the policy and particulars that implement budget items. By the afternoon of June 16th, most of the bills were in print. The Budget and trailer bill highlights follow, but it is important to note that some of the particulars might well change at the Governor's hands once he takes his blue pencil to the documents. With that caveat, however, and the actions of the Legislature the past few days community college should expect some reductions to their budget.
COLA: 1.41. percent, no change in the Budget and will be approved by Governor.
Growth: 3.5 percent, no change in the Budget and will be approved by the Governor.
Partnership for Excellence Program: $45 million in the Budget, likely to be approved by the Governor.
Full-Time Faculty Hires: $10.6 million in the Budget, possible veto by the Governor.
Outreach Programs: EOPS, DSPS, Puente Program, and MESA were all augmented for a total of $15.5 million, these augmentations could be in jeopardy.
COLA Increase for Nontraditional Categoricals: $1,075,000 -- provides a 1.41 percent COLA to the following programs: Foster Care, Academic Senate, Faculty Diversity and Development; Telecommunications and Technology Infrastructure Programs, Instructional and Library Materials, and the Board Financial Aid Program. Likely to be approved by the Governor.
Apprenticeship Training: $2.5 million for increasing the number of hours of training and an increase in the hourly reimbursement rate for training from the current $4.42 to $5.50 per hour. Likely to be approved by the Governor.
Budget Trailer Bills
The following items are contained in various trailer bills to the Budget:
The omnibus Education Trailer Bill is AB 1115, containing language that would appropriate $10 million to the community colleges for one-time expenditures for instructional equipment, library materials, technology and scheduled maintenance. The Department of Finance did not support this augmentation, as a result, it could be in jeopardy.
Trailer Bill AB 1118 contains language that would implement the reduction in community college student enrollment fees from $12 per unit to $11 per unit per semester, effective with the fall term of the 1999-2000 academic year. The Governor supports this bill.
For more details on the community college budget and those items that are not likely to be reduced by the Governor, see the June 11, 1999 UPDATE page 93, "Community College Local Assistance Budget."
Governor Davis has indicated it is his intent to sign the State Budget by June 28th.
-- Arnold Bray