AB 37

Bill Subjects

Abstract

(1) Existing law authorizes the Director of Finance to defer payments of General Fund moneys in July through September of 2009, in an amount not to exceed $750,000,000, appropriated to the University of California in the Budget Act of 2009, as specified. Existing law also authorizes the Director of Finance to defer payments of General Fund moneys in July 2009, in an amount not to exceed $290,000,000, appropriated to the California State University in the Budget Act of 2009, as specified. Existing law specifies the schedule of payments for these deferred amounts. This bill would additionally authorize the Director of Finance to defer payments of General Fund moneys owed in February 2010, in an amount not to exceed $250,000,000, appropriated to the University of California in the Budget Act of 2009. The bill also would authorize the Director of Finance to defer payments of General Fund moneys owed in February 2010 in an amount not to exceed $250,000,000, and owed in March 2010 in an amount not to exceed $150,000,000, appropriated to the California State University in the Budget Act of 2009, as specified. The bill would specify a schedule of payments for these deferred amounts. (2) Existing law defers, until October 2009, the disbursal of payments of General Fund moneys for July 2009, in an amount not to exceed $200,000,000, appropriated to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges for apportionments to community college districts. This bill would additionally defer, until May 2010, the disbursal of payments of General Fund moneys for March 2010, in an amount not to exceed $100,000,000, appropriated to the board for apportionments to community college districts. (3) Existing law requires state excise fuel tax revenues to be deposited in various accounts and to be allocated, in part, for various purposes, including the cost of collection and authorized refunds. Existing law requires the balance of these funds remaining after authorized deductions to be transferred to, and deposited monthly in, the Highway Users Tax Account in the Transportation Tax Fund. Existing law provides for annual and monthly apportionment by the Controller of specified revenues in the Highway Users Tax Account to cities, counties, and cities and counties for the transportation purposes authorized by Article XIX of the California Constitution. Existing law, pursuant to Chapter 23 of the 4th Extraordinary Session of the Statutes of 2009, requires transfers of those revenues from the Highway Users Tax Account to counties or cities that would otherwise be made during certain months of 2009 to instead be deferred and made after January 1, 2010. This bill would instead provide for the apportionments for the months of July and August of 2009 to cities, counties, and cities and counties to be paid in September 2009, and apportionments for November and December of 2009 and January, February, and March of 2010 to be paid on or within 2 working days of April 28, 2010, with specified exceptions. The bill would also authorize the affected local agencies to use specified transportation bond funds and other available funds to meet certain cash obligations. (4) Existing law provides for the State Supplementary Program for the Aged, Blind and Disabled (SSP) , which requires the State Department of Social Services to contract with the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services to, on behalf of the state, make combined state and federal payments to SSP recipients to supplement Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments made available pursuant to the federal Social Security Act. Existing law provides that the contract with the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services requires the state to pay the secretary an amount equal to expenditures made by the secretary as supplemental payments to SSP recipients less amounts payable by the federal government. This bill would, upon the order of the Director of Finance, require the Director of Social Services to defer the above-described payments to the federal government in February 2010, and March 2010, and, instead, make payments for those months after April 20, 2010, but no later than May 31, 2010. (5) The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to declare a fiscal emergency and to call the Legislature into special session for that purpose. The Governor issued a proclamation declaring a fiscal emergency, and calling a special session for this purpose, on December 19, 2008. This bill would state that it addresses the fiscal emergency declared by the Governor by proclamation issued on December 19, 2008, pursuant to the California Constitution.