Budget Deal Reached:
Small Adjustment for Libraries
Governor Sticks to May
Revision Numbers
CLA News From the Capitol:
6.16.2015 by Mike Dillon & Christina DiCaro, CLA Lobbyists
This
afternoon Governor Jerry Brown, Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, and Senate
President pro Tem Kevin De Leon held a joint press conference at the State
Capitol to announce that they had reopened the negotiations on the 2015-16
Budget and had reached a formal agreement.
Yesterday the State Senate and Assembly both passed this year’s Budget
bill by their constitutional deadline of June 15th, but the Budget assumed
higher revenue estimates than what the Governor used in his May Revision of the
Budget, released in mid-May.
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The
library funding was similarly adjusted to reflect the Governor’s May Revision
proposal, unfortunately eliminating the $4 million for the California Library
Services Act the legislature had included in the Budget, and reducing the
broadband connection grants slightly as well.
Here is what we understand will be included for public libraries in this
year’s 2015-16 Budget deal agreed to this afternoon:
$6.2
million in NEW funding for public libraries in the 2015-16 Budget bill:
•$2
million in new funding for the state literacy program.
•$2.5
million in new funding for broadband connection grants for public libraries to
join the CENIC high-speed
“backbone.” (an additional $1 million
beyond May Revision)
•$225,000
in administration costs to run the broadband program for the public libraries.
•$1
million for the Career
Online High School program (Originally not included in May Revision)
•$521,000
for State Library related library preservation activities.
It is believed that the Legislature will vote on the amended Budget bill later this week. READ MORE !
