Governor
Releases 2018-19 Proposed State Budget
Includes
$9.5 Million to Enhance Public Library Programs
CLA News:
1.10.2018 by Mike Dillon and Christina DiCaro, CLA Lobbyists
This
morning Governor Jerry Brown unveiled his final state Budget proposal, as he
completes the last year of his term in office.
As part of the Budget package, CLA is pleased to report that the
Governor has decided to include some significant funding -$9.5 million in new
money - for public libraries in the proposal.
This funding seeks to benefit libraries that need to connect to
high-speed broadband or those that wish to increase existing speed, local
literacy programs, and creative ways of sharing and delivering library
materials.
The
Governor’s Director of Finance, Michael Cohen then addressed the press corps
and noted that the state Budget is proposed as $131.7 billion this year and
that revenues are up $4.7 billion from last June. However, he cautioned that the “unknown is
the federal tax implications” which Director Cohen said his Department would be
actively working to assess in the coming months.
PUBLIC
LIBRARY FUNDING IN THE PROPOSED 2018-19 BUDGET
The
Governor’s 2018-19 Budget proposes the following:
“Augmentation
for Literacy Program – An increase of $2.5
million General Fund ongoing to expand the existing California Library
Literacy Services program.”
“One-Time
Funding for Broadband
Grants - $5 million General Fund one-time for broadband equipment grants, with
the expectation that $2 million would support connection for public libraries
who lack access to the broadband network and $3 million would expand capacity
for libraries already connected.”
“One-Time
Funding for Online Service System - $1.5 million General Fund one-time for
online systems for use by public libraries to support efficient access to
resources.”
$500,000
is also provided for a combination of State Library staffing and taxes related
to the CENIC project.
With
regard to the library-specific funding in the 2018-19 Budget, the negotiations
regarding these particular components in the Budget package were the result of
a collective effort between CLA, the Department of Finance, the State Library,
and the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC)
during the Fall months. READ MORE >>
