CDCAN REPORT #045-2011: Senate Budget Committee 53 page hearing agenda released for February 17

SENATE BUDGET COMMITTEE FEB 17 AGENDA OUT

• Regional Centers & Developmental Services Cuts On Agenda
• SSI/SSP Individual Grant Cut and  Multipurpose Senior Services Program Elimination on Committee Agenda
• Foster Youth Transitional Housing Program Plus Cut on Agenda
• In-Home Supportive Services & CalWORKS To Be Heard Friday
• Assembly Budget Committee Will Take Action On All Open Budget Items On Friday

SACRAMENTO, CALIF  (CDCAN) [Updated 02/16/2011 – 09:30 PM  (Pacific Time) –   The Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, chaired by Sen. Mark Leno (Democrat – San Francisco, 3rd State Senate District), released a 53 page agenda this evening for the next scheduled hearing on February 17, Thursday morning at 10:00 AM (note time change from 09:00 AM), at the State Capitol in Room 4203.  The agenda – a pdf file saved as a document (which can be read by persons who are blind or sight impaired using a screen reading device) is attached to this CDCAN Report titled "2011-02-17 - Senate Budget Committee - Agenda.pdf"

The Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee met earlier on Wednesday (February 16) taking final action on several of the Governor’s proposed cuts to Medi-Cal and Healthy Families.  The Governor’s proposed elimination of Adult Day Health Care , which is a Medi-Cal benefit, was not on the agenda and appears likely to be heard on Friday.  See CDCAN Report #044-2011 for details of what the Senate committee did today.

Senate Budget Panel Will Take Action on Regional Centers & Developmental Services; SSI/SSP, MSSP and Foster Youth Transitional Housing Program

The Senate committee will take final action on several major health and human services budget items (and also other items from other budget areas), including:

• All of the Governor’s proposals impacting regional centers and developmental services including the controversial $750 million reduction in State general fund spending, proposal to develop (for later approval by the Legislature) statewide standards to limit purchase of services – the part of the regional center  budget that funds community-based services and supports for over 240,000 children and adults with developmental disabilities. 
• Governor’s proposed elimination of the Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP),
• Governor’s proposed reduction of SSI/SSP individual monthly grants to the lowest amount allowed by the federal government. 
• Governor’s proposed reduction to the foster youth transitional housing program plus. 
• The Governor’s proposed reductions to In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) and CalWORKS, and also issues related to transferring or “realigning” certain state programs to the counties including Adult Protective Services and Child Welfare Services, will be heard by the Senate budget panel on Friday, February 18th, along with other issues. (See below for details). 
• The Assembly Budget Committee has not taken action on any of these issues and intends to hold only one single hearing to take final action (“close out”) open budget items, on Friday, February 18th  (See below for details)

FEB 17TH SENATE BUDGET & FISCAL REVIEW COMMITTEE AGENDA

CDCAN Note: Budget agenda items of high priority, controversy or interest are highlighted below in the color red (bolded) and also the agenda item is preceded by *** (for persons who are blind or sight impaired and use screen reading devices)

February 17, 2011
Room 4203
10 a.m.

OTHER HEALTH PROGRAMS

Department of Public Health (Budget Item 4265)

1. Additional General Fund Savings

Department of Developmental Services (Budget Item 4300)

Summary

1. ***Additional Savings in Developmental Centers
2. Developmental Center Capital Outlay Requests
3. ***Proposed Trailer Bill Language Package on Regional Center Services (Items “A” Through “E”)

A. Trailer Bill: Administrative Costs Cap

B. Dispute Resolution and Third-Party Liability

C. Audits

D. Conflict of Interest

E. Accountability and Transparency

5. ***Additional Savings in Regional Centers (Issues 1 through 3)

Issue 1.Reduce Agnews Community Placement Staff. This technical issue would reduce by $1.5 million State general funds.

Issue  2. Federal Fund Shifts for Regional Center Operations - A reduction of $8 million State general funds is recommended by shifting certain Regional Center project costs and Operations to federal funds ($3 million to Home and Community-Based Waiver, and $5 million to Money Follows the Person). Federal funds would be increased by $8 million

Issue 3.Adjustment for Large Facilities. A reduction of $1.7 million in State General funds is recommended by obtaining federal funds through the Home and Community-Based Waiver for consumers who are Medi-Cal eligible and residing in facilities with 16 or more beds.

6.      Conforming Action: Adjust Regional Center Purchase of Services to Conform to Medi-Cal Programs Actions of Senate Budget Committee

7.      ***Continuation of 4.5% Reduction to Regional Center Operations & Purchase of Services

8.      ***Budget Bill Language for Prevention Program

9.      ***New Cost Containment & Statewide Purchase of Services Standards

Department of Mental Health (Budget Item 4440)

1.      Expansion of Psychiatric Program at California Medical Facility--Vacaville

PUBLIC SAFETY

 (Six agenda items)

HIGHER EDUCATION

CaliforniaStateLibrary (Budget Item 6120) - (1 agenda item)

Universityof California(Budget Item 6440) - (5 agenda items including unallocated reduction of $500 million State general funds)

CaliforniaState University(Budget Item 6610) - (4 agenda items including unallocated reduction of $500 million State general funds)

CaliforniaStudent Aid Commission (Budget Item 7980) - (2 agenda items)

HUMAN SERVICES

Health & Human Services Agency – Office of Systems Integration (Budget Item 0530) – Vote Only Item - New Budget Bill Language

Department of Aging (Budget Item 4170)

1. ***Proposal to Eliminate the Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP)

Department of Child Support Services  (Budget Item 5175) - (2 agenda items)

***Department of Social Services (Budget Item 5180)

1.      ***Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) – Proposal to Reduce SSP Grants For Individual Recipients

2.      ***Transitional Housing Program-Plus (THP-Plus) – Governor’s Proposal to Reduce Funding by Over 50%

CDCAN UPDATED LISTING OF HEARINGS THIS WEEK

FEBRUARY 17, 2011 – THURSDAY_***UPDATED***
SENATE BUDGET & FISCAL REVIEW COMMITTEE
10:00 AM– State Capitol – Room 4203  ***NOTE TIME CHANGE***
Budget Items On Agenda:

• Human Services - including Office of Systems Integration (OSI); Department of Social Services (DSS)  SSI/SSP; Department of Child Support Services (DCSS); and California Department of Aging (CDA) -  Multipurpose Senior Services Program or MSSP budget item.
• Regional Centers and other Developmental Services
• Other Health Programs
• Public Safety budget items
• Higher Education budget items (but NOT community colleges)

PUBLIC TESTIMONY TAKEN: No – all these issues were previously heard with public testimony taken
CDCAN COMMENT:  Senate Budget Committee staff says the bulk of human services budget items still “open” will be part of the hearing on February 17 (Thursday).  IHSS (In Home Supportive Services and CalWORKS will be heard on Friday)  The hearing dealing with “realignment” (shifting State programs to the counties) proposals for Child Welfare Services, Adoptions Assistance Programs, Drug Medi-Cal and Adult Protective Services is part of the hearing agenda for Friday (February 18th)
PRIORITY: EXTREMELY HIGH

FEBRUARY 18, 2011 – FRIDAY  ****UPDATED***
SENATE BUDGET & FISCAL REVIEW COMMITTEE
09:30 AM (or whenever the State Senate floor session, which convenes at 09:00 AM on Friday, adjourns – which is expected to be around 09:30 AM)
State Capitol – Room 4203
Budget Items On Agenda:

• Revenues
• Redevelopment budget items
• Realignment budget issues (includes certain mental health related community-based services)
• Education – K-12 budget items
• And other remaining “open” budget items (including, according to budget staff, CalWORKS and IHSS

PUBLIC TESTIMONY TAKEN: No – all these issues were previously heard with public testimony taken
CDCAN COMMENT:  While the main focus of this hearing is non-health and human service budget items, the agenda could include health and human services budget items that the Senate committee does not take action on Wednesday or Thursday.
PRIORITY: EXTREMELY HIGH

FEBRUARY 18, 2011 – FRIDAY
ASSEMBLY BUDGET COMMITTEE
Meets Upon Adjournment of Assembly Floor session – which could be anywhere from 09:30 AM to about 10:00 AM
State Capitol – Room 4202
Budget Items On Agenda:

• ALL “open” budget items proposed by the Governor including health (Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, regional centers and other developmental services), human services (In-Home Supportive Services, CalWORKS, SSI/SSP, Child Welfare Services, etc), education, realignment, revenues, etc.

Public Testimony Taken: No – all these issues were previously heard with public testimony taken
PRIORITY: EXTREMELY HIGH

NEXT STEPS

NO MAJOR ACTION YET FROM EITHER HOUSE

• The Assembly and Senate Budget Subcommittees have completed their subcommittee budget hearings on all of the Governor’s major proposed reductions in hearings that began the week of January 24th and ended last week on February 10th, including taking in public comment.
• Nearly all of the Governor’s major proposals have been kept “open” for later action this week by the full budget committees in both houses.  Those actions where the Assembly and Senate disagree on will likely go to a Budget Conference Committee (composed of members from both houses) to resolve sometime during the week of February 21st.

WHEN WILL LEGISLATURE TAKE FINAL ACTION

• As reported, the full budget committees in both houses have scheduled final hearings this week (see above for details) to close out most  “open” budget items (meaning those budget items previously heard in subcommittee hearings but where no action was taken).
• The Senate Budget and Fiscal Committee is holding three hearings – the first of which was held today (February 16th).  The Assembly Budget Committee is opting to only hold one hearing on Friday February 18th to take final action on all open budget issues. 
• This process by the full budget committees is scheduled to be completed by the end of this week – February 18th in what is a unusually fast paced compressed process.
• Those items not closed (final action taken) or those items where the Senate and Assembly took different action will likely then go to a budget conference committee (which would be chaired by Assemblymember Blumenfield this year) – and then for a final vote by the entire Assembly and Senate.
• It is not certain yet when a final vote by both the full Assembly and State Senate will take place – though the Governor wants the Legislature to send him a budget bill and budget trailer bills by March.

BUDGET PROCESS ON FAST TRACK

• As previously reported, the Governor and Legislature – at the Governor’s urging – have put his proposed 2011-2012 State Budget spending plan on a fast track, to take action on his major proposals before March 1st. 
• The normal State budget process takes usually a half a year or longer  – with subcommittee hearings normally spread out from late February to May. 
• Governor has urged the Legislature to move quickly because a key part of his plan is to place on a special election ballot in June for voter approval his proposal to extend for five years temporary tax increases that are scheduled to expire this year. 
• The Governor also wants quick action on his spending reduction proposals in order for the State to be able to move to implement them by July 1st – and in some cases, within a few months – in order to achieve the greatest savings in State general funding from the cuts.

MORE BUDGET HEARINGS LIKELY IN MAY OR JUNE

• While last week was likely the final time for public comment at a budget subcommittee or full budget committee hearing (people can still contact their own legislators or write letters to members) before the Legislature takes final action on the Governor’s proposals, there will likely be additional budget hearings in May or early June. 
• Those hearings – which will likely take public comment – will likely hear  whatever details the Brown Administration submits to the Legislature on how it plans to achieve whatever reduction amount is targeted for regional centers and other developmental services.
• Other issues – possibly In-Home Supportive Services – might come up for hearing at that time as further details on various proposals become available.

File Attachments: 

2011-02-17 - Senate Budget Committee - Agenda.pdf