Legislature Set To Approve Emergency Cuts
Both houses of the state legislature are set to vote Friday on emergency cuts to health care, education and other programs. They’re designed to keep the state from running out of cash.
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(Sacramento, CA)
Thursday, February 14, 2008
The mid-year solution includes 500 million dollars in cuts to education and a ten percent cut in the reimbursement rate for Medi-Cal, the state’s low- income health care program. It also puts off the appointment of 60 judges. Both Republicans and Democrats are on board. That’s encouraging to Democratic Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez:
“If perhaps we can resolve what’s to come with a little of the maturity that we’re going to resolve this issue, then California might be in a better place than we all think.”
Nunez warns that even more devastating cuts will be needed to close the multi-billion dollar budget gap. Republican Assemblyman Roger Niello says he’s anxious to tackle the remaining deficit:
“Next week wouldn’t be too soon to start solving the rest of that problem.”
Governor Schwarzenegger called lawmakers into a special session to deal with the budget last month