POL 104 - SG # 9 - Study Guide Lec 9 PDF

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Study Guide Lec 9...

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Lecture #9 Dollars Democracy: A Guide to the State Budget Process ● Budgets are statements of our values and priorities ● Key Facts about the State Budget: ○ The state budget = state funds + federal funds ○ Reflect what kind of state we want to live in ○ State funds account for nearly two-thirds of CA's state budget ■ Federal Funds = 34.8% ■ State General Fund = 44.9% ■ State Bond Funds = 1.4% ■ State Special Funds = 18.9% ○ The state budget supports a broad range of public services and systems ○ More than two-thirds of state dollars support health and human services or education ■ Enacted 2018-19 general fund and special fund expenditures = $197.2 billion ● Health & Human Services = 32.6% ● K-12 Education = 28.4% ● Higher Education = 8.2% ● Corrections = 7.6% ● Transportation = 7.1% ● Other = 7.1% ● Environment & Natural Resources = 4.7% ● Legislative, Executive, & Judicial = 4.3% ○ More than 7 in 10 federal dollars spent through the state budget support health and human services ■ Federal funds estimated to be spent through the state budget in 2018-19 = $107.5 billion ● Health & Human Services = 73.2% ● K-12 Education = 7.7% ● Labor and Workforce Development = 6.2% ● Transportation = 5.8% ● Higher Education = 4.8% ● Other = 2.3% ○ California's state budget is actually a budget package ■ The budget package consists of one or more budget bills plus budget-related trailer bills ■ There is no limit on the number of trailer bills that may be included

○ The 40 bills in the 2018-19 budget package (thru September 2018) ■ SB 840: The initial 2018-19 budget bill ■ SB 856 & SB 862: Amended the initial 2018-19 budget bill ■ SB 941: Amended the 2017-18 budget bill ● The Constitutional Framework for the State Budget Process ○ California's Constitution establishes the basic rules for the budget process ○ CA's Constitution: ■ 75,000 words ■ Amended 500+ times ○ Several ballot measures, dating back to the 1970s, have had an impact on the budget and the budget process ○ The state Constitution sets two budget-related deadlines: Jan. 10 & June 15 ■ 1/10: State governor must release the summary of the budget proposal ■ 6/15: State legislator must come up with and agree on their own budget proposal ■ Governor has two weeks to sign or make changes ○ The budget bill and most budget-related bills can be passed by a simple majority vote (Prop. 25 of 2010) ○ A supermajority (two-thirds) vote is needed to approve any tax increase (Prop. 26 of 2010) ■ Democrats control more than two-thirds of the seats in each house of the legislature ■ 61/80 seats in Assembly ■ 29/40 seats in Senate ○ The state Constitution contains complex formulas ■ Three key budget formulas in the state Constitution: ■ Prop. 98 (1988): ○ Guarantees a min level of funding for K-12 schools and community college ■ Prop. 2 (2014): ○ Requires some state revenues to be set aside to pay down debts and save for a rainy day ■ Prop. 55 (2016): ○ Creates a formula to boost funding for Medi-Cal, which provides health care services for low-income residents

● The State Budget Process: Key Players & Timeline ○ The budget process is cyclical ■ Decisions are made throughout the year, both in public settings and behind the scenes ○ The key players: ■ The governor ■ The legislature ■ The public ○ The governor has the lead role in crafting the budget ■ Department of Finance ○ The legislature reviews and revises the governor's proposals ■ With the help of the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) ○ Members of the public can write letters (or now through social media), attend hearings of committees/subcommittees, etc. ○ The state budget process can be divided into three distinct periods ■ July to Dec ■ Jan to Mid-May ■ Mid-May to June...