Special Budget Subcommittee to Oversee COVID-19 Spending To Meet

Sacramento, CA – With up to a billion dollars total available to support the fight against the virus next week a special bi-partisan budget subcommittee tasked with overseeing the spending will hold its first hearing.

Senate Bill 89 passed in the state legislature last month and it initially allots half billion dollars with up to a billion total being made available for support of coronavirus. State Senate Republican Leader Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) relays that already $850 million has been spent by Gov. Gavin Newsom and Senate Republicans have been tracking those costs, click here. The sum includes $495 million to purchase two hundred million N95 and surgical masks per month for two months.

“We must ensure the state is doing everything possible to support the health and safety of Californians and our incredible frontline workers. Senate Republicans remain committed to ensuring we are legislating responsibly and providing necessary transparency and accountability for California taxpayers. In addition to mitigating the immediate effects of this current crisis, we are also focused on ensuring long-term economic stability for job creators and workers alike,” said Senate Republican Leader Grove.

The first hearing for the oversight committee is Thursday, April 16th at 2:00 p.m. The Department of Finance and Legislative Analyst’s Office also will participate in the hearing.