California State Budget
Contents |
Signatures count as of 6/12/08 12:00 PM: 2,863. Please keep them coming!
Petition Form
ADD YOUR VOICE! STOP UNFAIR DISCRIMINATORY BUDGET CUTS! HELP PRESERVE CASH ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR IMMIGRANTS (CAPI) & HEALTH SERVICES
Dear Governor Schwarzenegger, Assembly Speaker Bass, Senate President pro Tem Perata, and Senator Steinberg
We, the undersigned, ask you, our leaders, to reconsider the recent proposals in the May Revise to cut $2.9 billion in health and human services programs that unfairly target low-income families, the elderly, the disabled, and immigrants. These cuts threaten to eliminate vital safety net programs including the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI), a program established in 1998 to ensure that immigrant seniors and persons with disabilities get the assistance they need to pay for housing, food, and other basic necessities. in the proposals also include cuts to health programs that will limit access to comprehensive health care for the most vulnerable populations in our state. Those who need help the most are being asked to sacrifice more than their fair share for a balanced budget.
We strongly object to the following budget cuts, which will jeopardize the health and well-being of all Californians, and target our immigrant communities in particular:
- Eliminating the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI)
- Changing Medi-Cal eligibility requirements for low-income parents from 100% FPL to 61%, which is less than $12,000 for a family of four.
- Requiring immigrants in emergency Medi-Cal to re-apply monthly.
- Limiting benefits for lawfully residing immigrants, including immigrants with green cards.
- Increasing Healthy Families premiums
Immigrants pay taxes to support all Californians and are the backbone of the economy; to deny them access to the very services they support is discriminatory and undeserved. In times of hardship, we need to invest in the very programs their tax dollars supported to ensure that all Californians get the aid they need. We are grateful that the budget committee rejected the first four cuts (above) and we hope you will continue to hold the line to ensure that these cuts will not return to the budget bill. We urge you to focus on finding a balanced approach to solving our state’s fiscal crisis, one that includes increasing revenue to the state and not just cutting vital programs.
Campaign Calendar
Contact Yanghee Park at the Korean Resource Center at 323-937-3718 or ypark@krcla.org
- 6/13 (F) 3 pm - 8 pm at Hannam Chain, California Market
- 6/14 (Sa) 11 am - 8 pm at California Market
- 6/15 (Su) 7 am - 4:30 pm at Oriental Mission Church
- 6/17 (T) 5pm Fold Protest Invitation Letters at KRC
- 6/22 (Sun) Signatures at YoungNak Church
- 6/23-6/26 Phone Calling Campaign to Encourage Protest Participation
- 6/27 (F) 12pm Protest in front of the Governor's Office and Delivery of Signatures
California State Budget Cuts: Implications to Korean American Families
California is facing an estimated $17.2 billion deficit; on May 14, Governor Schwarzenegger released his revised budget for the 2008-2009 fiscal year. The deep cuts to Health and Human Services (an estimated $2.9 billion) can be troubling for low-income families, seniors, the disabled and immigrants. The following is a summary of the impact of some items in the Governor’s proposed budget*:
| Program | Proposal | Impact | Assembly Action | Senate Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medi-Cal | Lowers Medi-Cal eligibility from 100% to 61% of Federal Poverty Level | Income eligibility for poor families (under 1931b) would be reduced from 100% to 61% FPL ($12,000 a year for a family of 4). 430,000 poor parents would lose coverage by August 2011. | Rejected | Rejected |
| Medi-Cal | 10% provider and plan rate cuts in Medi-Cal | Provider and Plan Rate Cuts could signify greater difficulty for patients on Medi-Cal to find physicians to treat them. Only 50% of CA physicians accept Medi-Cal due to the low reimbursement rate. | Approved | Rate reduction cut to 5% |
| Medi-Cal | Reduced services for certain legal immigrants | Reduced services for certain legal immigrants who have not been in the United States for over five years; these immigrants would not be eligible for preventive services or routine doctor visits. | Rejected | Rejected |
| Healthy Families Program | Increase family contributions from $9 to $16 per month or $15 to $19 per month depending on income | Working families may have difficulty with increased family contributions. For some children a 78% premium increase and a 50% increase in co-payment for non-preventive services. An estimated 60,000-70,000 children will lose their Healthy Families coverage. | Approved some premium increases | Approved some premium increases |
| In-Home Support Services (IHSS) | Reduce the number of hours for certain non-medical services by 18% | The IHSS program helps seniors and disabled people who depend on their workers to help around with their basic needs, not all of which are medical. Time devoted to meal preparation, laundry, and other domestic errands may be cut by 18% in 2008-2009. | Rejected | Rejected |
| In-Home Support Services (IHSS) | Requires recipients with less severe impairments to pay “share of cost” | The “share of cost” is estimated to average $427 per month. | Rejected | Rejected |
| Naturalization Services Program (NSP) | 10% cuts to Naturalization Services Program | The cuts will negatively impact individuals seeking to become citizens who will have to wait longer to receive the assistance they need on their applications. The backlog will only grow longer, as 1,130 who will not receive naturalization services will probably remain on the wait list. | Approved | Approved |
| Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) | The budget eliminates the SSI/SSP cost of living adjustment (COLA) for the blind, aged and disabled scheduled for June 2008 | This results in SSI/CAPI budget savings of $820 million for the 07-8 and 08-9 budget. | Approved suspending the June 2008 COLA | Approved suspending the June 2008 COLA |
| Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) | It also proposes to suspend the 2008-9 SSP COLA also (to be applied in January 2009 and June 2009). | This results in SSI/CAPI budget savings of $820 million for the 07-8 and 08-9 budget. | Both January and June 2009 COLAs are retained | Both January and June 2009 COLAs are retained |
| Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI) | The Governor’s proposal would eliminate CAPI, denying critical cash support to immigrant seniors and persons with disabilities who were ineligible for federal SSI. | There are nearly 1,000 Korean American CAPI recipients. | Rejected | Rejected |
| California Food Assistance Program/Food Stamps Program | Cut California Food Assistance Program benefits by 10%, and Food Stamp administrative costs by 4% | Reduces monthly food benefit level from $91 to $82. The 10% cut for California Food Assistance Program benefit will save $2.5million dollars; the 4% cut for Food stamp administration $14.9M | Rejected | Rejected |
Next Steps:
The budget process takes months, from January to June, or even later if nothing has been settled. After each House passes their version of the budget with a two-thirds vote, the Assembly’s Budget Bill passes to the Senate; likewise, the Senate’s Budget Bill passes to the Assembly. If there are any differences, (i.e. Medi-Cal Provider Rate Cuts), the Budget Conference Committee reaches a compromise. The conference version goes back to the two houses for a two-thirds vote, and is sent back to the Governor. Sometimes, if the Conference Committee cannot reach agreement, the “Big 5” (the Governor, the President pro Tem of the Senate, the Speaker of the Assembly, and the minority leaders of both the Senate and the Assembly) may bring them back for discussion and future implementation. Community members should be aware that while the legislative bodies are no longer discussing these proposed cuts, they may still come back. Please don’t forget to advocate for your causes directly to the Governor.
* This list is by no means comprehensive. For more information, please contact the Korean Resource Center
