Senator Tony Strickland urged amendments to Assembly Bill 790, which would appropriate money from the General Fund to pay for state employees’ salaries and benefits in the event a state budget has not been enacted by July 1.

Currently, when a budget is not passed by July 1, state employees are paid federal minimum wage.

“A budget is a blueprint of our priorities. In this case, the Democrats are saying state employees are more important than the blind, aged, disabled, and those who are in nursing homes,” said Senator Strickland, during the floor debate.  “If we’re going to provide state workers their salaries during budget delays, we should also ensure funding for those most in need.”
“Not more than 30 minutes before taking up AB 790, we passed a resolution officially recognizing April as Autism Awareness Month,” Strickland added. “Why are state employees more important than children with autism or people in nursing homes? AB 790 needs to be amended to reflect our priorities.”
AB 790 failed passage in the Senate on a vote of 23-10. The measure has been granted reconsideration.

Tony Strickland is the Vice-Chair of the Senate Health Committee and represents California Senate District 19, which includes portions of Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties.