[KHTS] Assemblyman Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, and Senator Sharon Runner, R-Antelope Valley, both responded to Governor Jerry Brown’s proposed budget for the 2016-17 fiscal year Thursday.

Brown proposed a $122.6 billion general fund budget plan for 2016-17 that makes significant increases in funding for education, healthcare and state infrastructure, while bolstering the state’s rainy day fund and paying down state debts and liabilities, according to a news release.

Assemblyman Scott Wilk

Wilk issued the following statement:

“While I appreciate the Governor’s inclination to demonstrate a modest act of fiscal conservatism, this budget is not fiscally responsible nor does it reflect the priorities of everyday Californians.

Sacramento needs to be paying down the state’s monstrous debt, investing in public education and repairing and expanding our roads and water infrastructure. Furthermore, the lack of commitment to fulfilling the promise to the developmentally disabled community whose funding was slashed during the ‘Great Recession’ is troubling.

Instead of fixing our roads, the governor continues to pursue his pipedream of High-Speed Rail. Investing $68 billion in a 150-year old technology makes no sense and runs counter to the innovative and creative nature of California’s entrepreneurs.”

Runner issued the following statement:

“Overall, I respect Governor Brown’s commitment to continue investing in California’s rainy day fund while avoiding additional permanent spending.
However, I am disappointed Governor Brown’s budget fails to adequately deal with the significant issue of California’s crumbling transportation infrastructure and plays a shell game with the cost of healthcare. Instead of addressing these problems, Governor Brown is leaving it to the Legislature to raise taxes. California’s taxpayers are already overburdened; additional taxes are not an acceptable solution.

I will only support budget policies that promote fiscal responsibility; we need to allocate existing resources to essentials like fixing our transportation infrastructure and increasing water storage. I look forward to working with my colleagues on a budget that moves California in the right direction.”

According to a news release issued by Brown, significant details of the proposed 2016-17 state budget include:

Building Up the Rainy Day Fund

The Governor’s budget makes a supplemental deposit of $2 billion into the state’s Rainy Day Fund – boosting the balance from 37 percent today to 65 percent of its constitutional target. Building up the fund is the best insurance policy against deep budget cuts in the next economic downturn.

Securing Health Care Funding

The managed care tax is set to expire at the end of the current year. It is a critical component of the state’s financing for health care. The budget proposes a tax reform package that includes a replacement managed care organization tax for three years.

The package provides a net reduction in taxes paid by the private health care industry, secures funding for General Fund Medi-Cal expenses and provides an opportunity for targeted rate increases for developmental disability services.

Under the federal health care reform optional expansion, 3.4 million additional residents now receive health coverage and the budget allocates $740 million General Fund for the state’s share of costs. These costs will grow to reach $1.8 billion General Fund by 2020-21.

Investing Significantly in K-12 Education

The budget boosts school spending per student to $10,591 in 2016-17 – an increase of nearly $3,600 compared to 2011-12 levels.

The budget provides a fourth-year investment of more than $2.8 billion in the Local Control Funding Formula, which focuses on students with the greatest challenges to success, bringing the formula to 95 percent implementation.

The budget also proposes a $1.6 billion early education block grant that combines three existing programs to promote local flexibility, focusing on disadvantaged students and improved accountability.

Keeping College Tuition Flat

The budget keeps tuition at 2011-12 levels for another year for the University of California and California State University, maintaining affordability while continuing to help students reduce the time it takes to successfully complete a degree.

Strengthening State Infrastructure

The budget reflects the Governor’s transportation package, first outlined last summer, that would provide $36 billion over the next decade to improve the maintenance of highways and roads, expand public transit, and improve critical trade routes.

The budget also includes $807 million ($500 million General Fund) for critical deferred maintenance at levees, state parks, universities, community colleges, prisons, state hospitals and other state facilities.

The budget supports a major investment in renovating Sacramento’s aged and inadequate state office infrastructure with a $1.5 billion General Fund down payment to begin that work for three buildings, including the State Capitol Annex.

Addressing Climate Change

The budget continues the Administration’s actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a $3.1 billion Cap and Trade Expenditure Plan that will reduce emissions through programs that support clean transportation, reduce short-lived climate pollutants, protect natural ecosystems and benefit disadvantaged communities.

Counters the Effects of Poverty

The budget reflects the implementation of the increase in the state’s minimum wage to $10 per hour effective Jan. 1, 2016 and provides funding ($380 million) for the second year of the Earned Income Tax Credit to help the state’s poorest working families.

The budget also provides a cost-of-living increase for aged, blind and disabled Californians in the Supplemental Security Income/State Supplemental Payment (SSI/SSP) program– the first state increase in grant levels since 2006.