The Assembly sent legislation to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday that would allow the state to delay payments to schools and local governments to help avoid a cash crisis in future months, as well as enable the state treasurer to sell public works bonds for construction projects.
Assembly Republicans withheld support Monday on Assembly Bill X8 5 and asked for a committee hearing, which took place Wednesday. At the end of the hearing, the GOP budget vice chairman, Assemblyman Jim Nielsen, made remarks suggesting that his party would demand spending cuts before sending ABX8 5 to the governor.
But Nielsen, R-Gerber, backed off that threat Thursday and said in floor debate that it was necessary to pass ABX8 5 and two other bills "to send a very profound message to the people of the state of California that both parties can work together to resolve our very difficult budget challenge."
The two other bills the Assembly passed were:
• SBX8 4, extending cuts to the state's regional centers, which serve residents with developmental disabilities. The bill would save $186 million in general fund dollars through June 2011. It went to the Senate for concurrence.
• ABX8 7, which would shore up the state's beverage container recycling program. It went to the governor.
IMAGE: Jim Nielsen, file photo 2008
UPDATE (1 p.m.): The previous version of this story said the Assembly sent the regional center bill to the governor; the Assembly actually sent a different version of that bill to the Senate for concurrence.
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