Prudence and Optimism Characterize Updated Budget Proposal
Bishops Press Case for Immigration Reform in DC
Bills on Education Tax Relief/Incentives Pass Key Committee
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Prudence and Optimism Characterize Updated Budget Proposal
Governor Jerry Brown this week released his "May Revise," an update to his January budget proposal that incorporates actual revenue and expense data from the first months of 2014.
"Two concepts seem to dominate Governor Brown's revised budget today: prudence and optimism," said Ned Dolejsi, executive director of the California Catholic Conference. "Prudence, because while the state's budget outlook is the best it's been in years, the recession isn't over for everybody; and optimism, because we finally have the resources to begin making smart investments in California's future."
With revenues running $2.4 billion above earlier projections, the update raises the overall general fund spending to more than $107 billion. Governor Brown emphasized building the newly proposed rainy-day fund, paying down the "wall of debt," shoring up the teacher pension system and adding funds to mitigate the impact of the drought. (The California Department of Finance has the full budget
here.)
A very modest increase in CalWORKs funding proposed in January remains unchanged in the May Revise and Medi-Cal funding increases because of new enrollments and additional Federal funds.
"As the recession wanes for many Californians, the Governor can consider supporting those who were most devastated during the recession and have the furthest to go until they participate in the recovery," said Dolejsi. "For instance, a very reasonable and cost-effective re-introduction of the Naturalization Services Program (NSP) would bring more than 2.5 million eligible people out of the shadows and into the ranks of American citizenship as full members of American society. (
Ask the Governor to restore NSP funding here.)
"There are many demands on a recovering budget. The California Catholic Conference urges the Governor to care first for those with the greatest needs. He should also reexamine destructive practices such as the public funding for abortions, which end a life and run contrary to public sentiment. Taxpayers aren't given a choice about funding abortions," Dolejsi said.
The complete statement is available on our
website. (www.cacatholic.org) Some of the Catholic principles useful in formulating state budgets can also be found in a statement released by the California Bishops during the height of the deficit years --
In Search of the Common Good.
Bishops Press Case for Immigration Reform in DC
Members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops'(USCCB) Committee on Migration, including those who celebrated Mass at the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona April 1, will travel to Capitol Hill, May 29, to urge lawmakers in the House of Representatives to act on immigration reform legislation.
"Our trip to the border opened our eyes, even more than previously, to the human tragedies generated by our immigration system," said Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, auxiliary bishop of Seattle, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration. "Bringing our experience, as well as the solidarity and spirit we felt with residents on both sides of the border, to our lawmakers in Washington is a natural next step."
"The only real solution to this broken system is action by Congress," Bishop Elizondo said. "We need a debate and vote on this issue. Inaction is equivalent to supporting the status quo, which Americans agree needs to be changed."
Bills on Education Tax Relief/Incentives Pass Key Committee
Thank you for your ongoing support of the series of innovative tax policy proposals that would empower parents as well as teachers to care for their own school children's learning needs, inspire greater charitable contributions to expand local resources in K-12 education, and encourage greater savings for kindergarten through college
Six major tax policy bills were heard in the Assembly Revenue & Taxation Committee this week and three passed with bipartisan votes of support: AB 1956 deals with investments the state's 529-college plan; AB 2427 supports new teachers; and AB 2426 encourages families to save for K-College learning needs. They will all be heard next week in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. For details on all the bills, please click
here.
Justice for Immigrants has released a new set of tools to help parishioners and others understand the complex issues involved in comprehensive immigration reform. The Pentecost and Immigration Took Kit is available here.
The link between poverty and abortion -- a blogger writes about her moving and eye-opening encounter outside an abortion clinic that raised her awareness of the economic pressures many pregnant women face. Read A Crib for Her Baby here.
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Public Policy Insights is produced by the California Catholic Conference.