California Lawmakers Reject Hundreds of Proposals in Budget-Cutting Hearings
Facing a $12 billion deficit and potential federal funding losses, legislators shelved costly measures, setting the stage for contentious budget negotiations in June.
Overview
- California's Assembly and Senate appropriations committees used rapid-fire suspense file hearings to reject hundreds of bills on May 23.
- Shelved proposals include tax credits for parents of young children, a state-funded scientific research institute, and tax exemptions for service workers' tips.
- Lawmakers cited the state's $12 billion budget shortfall and uncertainty over federal funding as key reasons for the rejections.
- The suspense file process, intended for collective fiscal review, has become a tool for quietly killing or deferring costly measures.
- High-profile proposals deferred in the hearings will now move to formal budget negotiations, which are set to intensify in early June.