On Monday, Assemblyman Rudy Salas and the state legislature passed the 2015-16 state budget, which provides approximately $117 billion in general fund spending.
“We saw wins for the Central Valley, including resources to combat the drought, increased public safety funding, more equitable home-to-school transportation funding and restoration to developmental services and regional centers,” said Salas.
The assemblyman worked to secure vital resources for the Central Valley in the budget, including:
–$7.85 million for public safety infrastructure in the cities of
Avenal, Corcoran and Lemoore in Kings County. These funds will ensure public safety and help adequately address recidivism reduction efforts.
–$2.5 million for home-to-school transportation, which has long been inequitably funded and in need of improvement. These monies will help reimburse severely underfunded districts and provide students much needed transportation services.
–A five percent increase for developmental services and regional centers.
“This budget is balanced and makes investments to improve the lives of Californians,” said Assemblyman Salas. “We are building reserves and paying down debts, increasing funding for education, providing money for those suffering from drought and providing resources to keep our communities safe.”
The following are major provisions of the 2015-16 budget:
–The budget includes $5.7 billion in reserves and pays $2.6 billion in debt.
–Funding is increased for k-12 education by $8.2 billion and expands early education funding by $5.57 billion; student financial aid funding is increased by $150 million and California State University, the University of California and community colleges will also see millions in additional funding.
–The budget includes $162 million to address statewide drought impacts, $132 million for water recycling and $180 million for safe drinking water.
