California lawmakers have a $190.3-billion state budget plan to consider. Here's some of what it would pay for
Insisting that California lawmakers continue to restrain government spending growth in preparation for a recession he believes is just around the corner, Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday unveiled a state budget for 2018 that proposes banking most of a $6.1-billion tax revenue windfallexpected to show up in the fiscal year beginning July 1.
Most of the money would be placed into the state’s primary reserve fund, a savings account that would grow to $13.5 billion — the largest such crisis contingency fund in California history.
Here are some of the key parts of the budget the Legislature will now consider. A final agreement is due on Brown’s desk by June 15.
- $3.5 billion would go to an extra payment into the state’s Budget Stabilization Account, often called the “rainy-day” fund. By law, this account can grow to 10% of general fund revenue, and Brown’s budget would get it to that maximum limit by early summer of 2019.
- $2.3 billion would be used for costs that arise during the fiscal year, what the budget calls “economic uncertainties.” This could include things like responding to natural disasters. Unlike the rainy-day fund, lawmakers have a significant amount of discretion over this money.
- $134 million would be used to help pay for outdated voting and election equipment in California’s 58 counties, though this is only half of the needed funds and the rest would have to be provided by local governments.
- $100 million would be used to boost funding to help those who have been found incompetent to stand trial. State officials say that court referrals of these defendants are now almost one-third higher than five years ago and that 840 people were on the wait list for inpatient mental health treatment as of December.
- $30 million would be used to create the California Institute to Advance Precision Health and Medicine, with a mission of improving health and healthcare through advanced computing and technology.
- $16 million would go toward California’s earthquake warning system.