On Thursday, March 24th, Governor Jerry Brown signed 13 budget trailer bills, enacting $11.2 billion in solutions to the ongoing state budget deficit. $8.2 billion was in the form of spending cuts, many of which begin on July 1, 2011. The bulk of those cuts will be in health and human services programs that provide essential services to low-income children and adults and individuals with disabilities. Changes to the IHSS program were contained in SB 72, the human services trailer bill, and amounted to a $486 million reduction to the program. For information on these changes, click here.

The Governor has yet to sign the main budget bill (SB 69) as well as any revenue-related bills. These include his controversial proposal to eliminate redevelopment agencies, his proposal to extend increased tax rates, which are scheduled to expire in June, and the elimination of certain corporate tax loopholes. This is because the legislature needs a 2/3s majority vote to pass any bills that raise taxes and as of this point the necessary votes have not been garnered.