Governor To Deliver State Of The State Address
California Governor Jerry Brown will deliver the annual State of the State Address before a joint session of the California Legislature on Thursday, January 21, 2016.
Brown was Thursday’s KVML “Newsmaker of the Day”.
The Address will be carried live on AM 1450 KVML.
Last week, the Governor introduced a $122.6-billion budget proposal that he says will increase spending on education, healthcare and infrastructure. In addition, it would increase the state’s rainy day fund by $2-billion.
The Governor’s Office released a list of bullet points that Brown feels are the highlights.
Builds Up the Rainy Day Fund
The Governor’s budget makes a supplemental deposit of $2 billion into the state’s Rainy Day Fund – boosting the balance from 37 percent today to 65 percent of its constitutional target. Building up the fund is the best insurance policy against deep budget cuts in the next economic downturn.
Secures Health Care Funding
The managed care tax is set to expire at the end of the current year. It is a critical component of the state’s financing for health care. The budget proposes a tax reform package that includes a replacement managed care organization tax for three years. The package provides a net reduction in taxes paid by the private health care industry, secures funding for General Fund Medi-Cal expenses and provides an opportunity for targeted rate increases for developmental disability services. Under the federal health care reform optional expansion, 3.4 million additional residents now receive health coverage and the budget allocates $740 million General Fund for the state’s share of costs. These costs will grow to reach $1.8 billion General Fund by 2020-21.
Invests Significantly in K-12 Education
The budget boosts school spending per student to $10,591 in 2016-17 – an increase of nearly $3,600 compared to 2011-12 levels. The budget provides a fourth-year investment of more than $2.8 billion in the Local Control Funding Formula, which focuses on students with the greatest challenges to success, bringing the formula to 95 percent implementation. The budget also proposes a $1.6 billion early education block grant that combines three existing programs to promote local flexibility, focusing on disadvantaged students and improved accountability.
Keeps College Tuition Flat
The budget keeps tuition at 2011-12 levels for another year for the University of California and California State University, maintaining affordability while continuing to help students reduce the time it takes to successfully complete a degree.
Strengthens State Infrastructure
The budget reflects the Governor’s transportation package, first outlined last summer, that would provide $36 billion over the next decade to improve the maintenance of highways and roads, expand public transit, and improve critical trade routes. The budget also includes $807 million ($500 million General Fund) for critical deferred maintenance at levees, state parks, universities, community colleges, prisons, state hospitals and other state facilities. The budget supports a major investment in renovating Sacramento’s aged and inadequate state office infrastructure with a $1.5 billion General Fund down payment to begin that work for three buildings, including the State Capitol Annex.
Addresses Climate Change
The budget continues the Administration’s actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a $3.1 billion Cap and Trade Expenditure Plan that will reduce emissions through programs that support clean transportation, reduce short-lived climate pollutants, protect natural ecosystems and benefit disadvantaged communities.
Counters the Effects of Poverty
The budget reflects the implementation of the increase in the state’s minimum wage to $10 per hour effective January 1st and provides funding ($380 million) for the second year of the Earned Income Tax Credit to help the state’s poorest working families. The budget also provides a cost-of-living increase for aged, blind and disabled Californians in the Supplemental Security Income/State Supplemental Payment (SSI/SSP) program— the first state increase in grant levels since 2006.
The “Newsmaker of the Day” is heard every weekday morning on AM 1450 KVML at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 AM.
