This week, the Joint Budget Conference Committee began work on finalizing decisions on key Budget issues of difference between the Senate and Assembly budget plans, including Health, Human Services, K-12, Higher Education, Public Safety, Judicial, Labor, State Administration, General Government, Transportation, and Resources Budget issues.  

The Budget Conference Committee is comprised of members of both the Assembly and Senate Budget Committees, and includes:

  • Chair, Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco)
  • Vice Chair, Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego)
  • Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens)
  • Senator Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber)
  • Assemblymember Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica)
  • Assemblymember Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore)

The Budget Conference Committee meets to discuss and reach compromises on Budget items where the Senate and Assembly Budget Committees approved different amounts of funding or policy language associated with the funding.  Representatives from the Department of Finance, Legislative Analyst Office (LAO), and other technical staff from the Administration are also involved in the discussions to provide the Committee with the Governor’s perspective on the Budget items being discussed.  Thus far, many of the items heard by the Committee have been left open for further discussion.  Additionally, some items may not be addressed by the Budget Conference Committee at all, and will instead be taken up by the “Big Three” – the Senate pro Tempore Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) , the Speaker of the Assembly Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), and Governor Jerry Brown, in private negotiations leading up to the passage of the final Budget.  

Key RCRC issues still to be dealt with in Budget Conference Committee or by the “Big Three” include the Cap-and-Trade funding, water policy trailer bills, and the restoration of the Medi-Cal reimbursement rates.  The Legislature has until June 15, 2015 to pass the 2015-16 State Budget, and the enacted Budget goes into effect July 1, 2015.  Budget Conference Committee is expected to wrap-up on Monday.