This week, the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) published a post detailing impacts on California’s state budget in light of COVID-19 and new federal resources that may assist in addressing state budget issues as a result of responding to the pandemic. The LAO examines sources of a potential budget problem where the state’s anticipated General Fund…
Read More »Yesterday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued the “Disaster Financial Management Guide” to support jurisdictions in establishing and implementing sound disaster financial management practices. The guide takes an all-hazards approach and addresses a broad range of issues and contains concepts, principles, and resources applicable to the COVID-19 pandemic response. The guide identifies capabilities and…
Read More »This week, President Donald Trump directed his administration to place a hold on all funding to the World Health Organization (WHO). Each year, the U.S. Government provides approximately $400 million to $500 million to WHO to support its international health planning, coordination, and response activities. The Trump Administration contends that the WHO mismanaged the handling…
Read More »The Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) recently released its report, The Impact of Chronic Underfunding on America’s Public Health System: Trends, Risks, and Recommendations, 2020. The report examines federal, state, and local public health funding trends, finding a continuing pattern of underfunding vital public health and emergency preparedness programs. As such, TFAH determines that the…
Read More »This week, the California Budget & Policy Center published an issue brief around health coverage during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. The report discusses recent short-term actions by policymakers to mitigate serious health threats caused by COVID-19, including extending coverage for COVID-19 testing and treatment through Medi-Cal. While these actions have provided temporary access to…
Read More »This afternoon, the Newsom Administration Department of Finance (DOF) sent two letters to Senate and Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairs notifying the Legislature of the Administration’s intent to provide $100 million in emergency funds approved by the Legislature last month to support child care providers and essential workers. $50 million is proposed to be…
Read More »Late last Friday, Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon announced the Legislature has extended its joint recess to May 4, 2020, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Recall, the Legislature recessed last month in an unprecedented move to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis; the Legislature was previously scheduled to…
Read More »On Monday, Assembly Budget Committee Chair Phil Ting issued a memo detailing likely changes in the state’s budget process in light of COVID-19 and its widespread impacts on the state. In the memo, Assembly Member Ting indicates the state’s revenues are expected to be significantly decreased and the full damage to the state’s economy will…
Read More »Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon on Thursday released a joint statement indicating they are organizing committee hearings prior to the Legislature’s return to Sacramento to increase oversight on how funds are being spent during the COVID-19 pandemic. In their statement, Atkins and Rendon noted, “We strongly believe the Governor…
Read More »The Department of Finance (DOF) on Tuesdayissued a letter to Senate and Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee chairs notifying the Legislature of the California Office of Emergency Services’ (Cal OES) intent to make an initial down payment of $495 million to secure a newly established supply chain of masks in response to the COVID-19 pandemic….
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