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Compromise budget approved by California Legislature

JUDY LIN/Associated Press | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 years, 7 months AGO
by JUDY LIN/Associated Press
| June 20, 2015 9:00 PM

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California lawmakers on Friday passed a compromise budget to meet Gov. Jerry Brown's demands for restrained spending, even as the package sends billions more to public schools and increases spending on health care and social services.

The Assembly approved the revised $115.4 billion budget for the fiscal year starting next month with a 53-26 vote, followed by the Senate on a bipartisan 30-9 vote.

"We're not done by a long shot but this is a budget that we feel pretty good about," Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, said after the vote. "We got more done in this budget than we have gotten done in the last decade for income inequality and for poor Californians."

Democrats who control both houses had sought more money for social welfare programs and approved a plan Monday with $2 billion in higher spending. But Brown, a Democrat, held firm against expanding many services, relying on a lower projection for state revenues.

The budget now heads to the governor, who is expected to approve it.

Brown allowed Democratic legislative leaders to keep some of their priority programs such as boosting the number of state-subsidized child care slots, giving in-home support workers a raise, and expanding state-subsidized health care coverage to children from low-income families who are in the country illegally.

The governor said the state will pay for those initiatives but still limit state spending next year by finding savings in other programs, including fixing an accounting error in health spending.

Brown also has called two special sessions to address how California pays for roads, highways and other infrastructure, and Medi-Cal, the state's health care program for the poor.

Republicans said they supported the lower overall budget figure and some voted for the compromise plan. Other GOP members pointed to the shortcomings of the spending plan.

"The majority party has passed two budgets in two days that fail to address California's priorities - water, education and transportation infrastructure," said Assembly Minority Leader Kristin Olsen, R-Riverbank.

Democrats weren't completely satisfied either. Some said the revised budget doesn't do enough to help poor and disabled people.

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