Late yesterday, Governor Gavin Newson signed
SB 129 (Skinner), the 2020-2021 Budget Bill Jr. that represents the negotiated budget agreement between the Administration and Legislature. This bill contains the updated provisional language for the $100 million one-time funding available to provide fiscal relief to independent special districts that have encountered unanticipated costs or loss of revenue due to the COVID-19 public health emergency and that have not received other forms of fiscal relief from the state or federal government. CSDA is working with the Department of Finance to gain clarity on the intent of that language and on program specifics and will report out when that information becomes available.
Yesterday budget trailer bills were also introduced containing provisions for the arrearage funding for both water/wastewater and energy/gas programs:
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AB 148 is the budget public resources trailer bill and includes the program for distributing just shy of $1 billion for water and wastewater arrearages. It also contains drought relief language. (The California Water and Wastewater Arrearage Payment Program is established in Section 116773.4. )
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AB 135 is the budget trailer bill dealing with human services and includes the language for distributing almost $1 billion for past due electric and gas utility bills ( The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is established in Section 16367.51 to prioritize and expedite services that reduce energy arrearages for low-income households. It is in the human services trailer bill because the program is administered by the Department of Community Services and Development, which is under the Health and Human Services Agency).
These two bills implement the funding appropriated in SB 129 (Skinner). We expect them to be voted on before the end of the week, prior to the Legislature departing for summer recess. These are understood to be trailer bills in their final form, and we do not anticipate future opportunities to amend the language.
CSDA will continue to keep you updated on the passage and signing of the arrearage programs and as details emerge on implantation for all of the above mentioned fiscal relief programs.