November 3, 2015
Legislative Update
The Legislature concluded its business for the year on September 11, 2015, and will reconvene in Sacramento on January 4, 2016. The Governor had until October 11, 2015, to sign or veto bills. Below is an update on final actions for C.A.S.H. priority bills that made it to the Governor’s desk. Continue reading
October 13, 2015
The Legislature completed its business and went into interim recess on September 11, and the Governor had until midnight on Sunday, October 11 to sign or veto bills on his desk. Legislators will return to Sacramento on January 4, 2016, to kick off the second year of the 2015-16 legislative session, at which time bill introductions will begin again in earnest. Continue reading
July 1, 2015
Facility Planners Meeting
State School Bond Efforts
Efforts in the Legislature
Efforts on a state school bond have taken a backseat to other priorities in the Legislature, which does not need to act until next year to place a bond on the November 2016 ballot.
Only one of the three main bond bill vehicles met recent legislative deadlines to make it out of Appropriations Committee and to the floor. SB 114 (Liu) was passed out of Senate Appropriations Committee without the addition of a specific dollar amount; however this bill Continue reading
06/01/15
The May Revision and State Budget Activities
The Governor released his May Revision budget update on Thursday, May 14, 2015, and the
Legislature is currently reviewing, reconciling, and finalizing budget actions in order to
meet the constitutional deadline to pass a budget by June 15. The Governor estimates an
additional $6.7 billion in revenues above the January proposal across three fiscal years
(2013-14, 2014-15, and 2015-16), $5.5 billion of which are proposed to go to K-12 and
community colleges under Proposition 98. The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO)
estimates revenues approximately $3 billion above the Governor, who is known for making
very conservative estimates in order to maintain a fiscally prudent approach and minimize
new spending. Continue reading
05/28/15
Today the Legislature met a significant deadline that required them to act on bills with a potential state fiscal impact. Today the Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees took up the “suspense file,” acting on a number of bills with school facilities implications. When bills are initially heard in the Appropriations Committee, the Committee will often defer action, sending bills to suspense. This is a mechanism whereby each house collects and prioritizes bills with state fiscal implications, acting upon them at a later date. Bills that are “held” in the Appropriations Committee at this point in time will likely not be moving forward through the legislative process for the remainder of the year; they become “two-year bills” with the opportunity to move again at the beginning of 2016. Continue reading
05/12/15
Legislative Update
May 2015
The Legislature just passed a very important deadline: May 1 was the last day for policy committees to hear and pass bills with potential fiscal implications. Most bills are now pending in the Appropriations Committee in their house of origin and must be passed out of that committee by May 29. Bills are then considered by the full Senate or Assembly and Senate bills must be passed out of the Senate and Assembly bills passed out of the Assembly by June 5. Continue reading