CDCAN Advocacy Without Borders :: One Community

BUDGET CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REJECTS GOVERNOR’S PROPOSAL TO SUSPEND AB 3632 MENTAL HEALTH SPECIAL EDUCATION MANDATE IN LATE NIGHT MEETING

Agrees to $52 Million Cut to Department of Mental Health for AB 3632 Mandate Claims – Approves Repeal of Special Disability Adjustment Mandate Effective July 1, 2011

SACRAMENTO, CALIF (CDCAN) [Updated 08/04/2010  10:44  PM  (Pacific Time)]  - The Budget Conference Committee, chaired by Sen. Denise Ducheny (Democrat – San Diego, 40^th State Senate District), voted just after 8:40 PM Wednesday evening, to reject the Governor’s proposal to suspend the AB 3632 mental health special education mandate, that will leave the program – at least for the 2010-2011 State Budget year, as is.

The mental health services administered by the counties under AB 3632 impacts thousands of children in special education across California.  Federal law requires the states to provide these mental health services to eligible students – but California in 1984 passed a state law that designated the counties with primary responsibility in the State to carry out that federal requirement. 

The action by the Budget Conference Committee included approving a reduction of $52 million in state general funds to the Department of Mental Health for payment of AB 3632 claims in the current 2010-2011 State budget year, and approval of additional (augmentation) $133 million in State general funds to the Commission on State Mandates for payments to the counties for prior year AB 3632 mandate claims in 2010-2011.

• US Senate Backs Off On Medicaid Increase Extension
• Budget Conference Committee To Meet Tue & Wed
• Some State Legislative Policy Committees To Meet

No Agreement In Sight On How To Close Over $19 Billion State Budget Shortfall As California Goes Into Its 33^rd Day Without A Budget

SACRAMENTO, CALIF (CDCAN) [Updated 08/02/2010  08:20  PM  (Pacific Time)]  - US Senate Democrats in Washington, DC backed off from calling for a vote Monday evening on a federal bill with new amendments that would have allocated $16.1 billion to partially extend the temporary increase in Medicaid matching funding to the states including California that experiencing enormous state budget shortfalls.  The proposed amendments would also have provided $10 billion in additional funding to local educational agencies.

US Senate Democratic leaders decided against calling for a vote after it was clear that there were not the needed 60 votes to end debate to allow a final vote on the measure.

The new proposal is a dramatically scaled back version – referred to as a “phased down” approach - of several previous unsuccessful attempts by US Senate Democrats to pass a 6 month extension of the full amount of the temporary increase in Medicaid funding to the states.

Honoring Disability Rights & Ed Roberts: 

• ACTION ALERT: WRITE LETTER TO GOVERNOR URGING HIM TO SIGN SB 1256 ED ROBERTS DAY
• Passed Assembly 73 to 0 – Passed State Senate 34 to 0
• Sent to Governor July 7^th – He Has 12 Days To Act On It (July 19^th)

Ed Roberts: Roberts, a former director of the Department of Rehabilitation and co-founder of a respected disability advocacy organization World Institute on Disability (WID), passed away from natural causes on March 14, 1995.In the 20^th anniversary year of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act,  a bill that would proclaim every January 23^rd “Ed Roberts Day” was passed without opposition by the California Legislature – with support from nearly every Democratic and Republican members, and now is in the hands of the Governor.

The bill, SB 1256 by Sen. Loni Hancock (Democrat – Berkeley, 9^th State Senate District),  would honor the life and work of disability rights leader Ed Roberts, recognized and revered across the world as the “father of the independent living” movement for people with disabilities and special needs. January 23^rd is the birthday of Ed Roberts, who was born in 1939. He passed away on March 14, 1995 at the age of 56.

The bill, which passed the Assembly 73 to 0 and passed the State Senate on July 1^st by vote of 34 to 0, was delivered to the Governor on July 7^th.  The Governor has 12 days to either sign the bill, veto it or allow it to become law without his signature.  This commentary and action alert is asking people to write to the Governor to urge him to sign it into law – a fitting tribute to a remarkable disability rights leader on the anniversary of a remarkable federal disability rights law.

Both Medi-Cal Institutional and Non-Institutional Providers Will Continue to Be Paid Even If No Budget In Place & If Special Fund Is Exhausted – Payments Will Continue for SSI/SSP, IHSS

Controller Issues Statement On Governor’s Order To Temporarily Reduce State Employee Wages to Federal Minimum – Refuses to Implement

SACRAMENTO, CALIF (CDCAN) [Updated 07/01/2010  08:05 PM  (Pacific Time)] –  With a long budget stand-off expected to last possibly through the summer, the State Controller released information indicating what things the State can continue to pay – and what things cannot be paid, without a spending plan in place.

A copy of his 3 page letter (pdf file) to the Governor and four legislative leaders, dated June 15, 2010,  outlined what the State is required to continue paying and what payments he cannot make unless a State budget is in enacted, is attached to this CDCAN Report and can also be downloaded from the CDCAN website at www.cdcan.us.