ALAMEDA, Calif. — California lawmakers are planning to hold budget votes Tuesday, the final day of their regular session, though no one expects a budget bill to pass.
It's more of an opportunity to put the continuing budget stalemate on the record.
Democrats have majorities in each house, but lack the two-thirds supermajorities needed to pass a budget.
Members of the GOP minority, who can block a budget, want a budget similar to that proposed by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who wants to close the general fund's almost $18 billion budget gap without any tax increases.
The Democrats' spending plan would preserve the state's basic welfare program, which Republicans would kill, and send more money to schools than the GOP wants. The Democratic proposals would require new revenue.
There are expected to be floor debates this morning, followed by votes on the Republican and Democratic spending plans, Alicia Trost, press secretary for Senate President pro tempore Darrell Steinberg, said Monday morning.
"The purpose is to see where the votes stand for each one," she said.
"It's going to be a budget drill; it's not going to be a bipartisan negotiated plan," said Seth Unger, spokesman for Assembly Republican Leader Martin Garrick.
Assuming no budget is adopted today, the stalemate will become the second-longest in California history, according to Department of Finance data, surpassing 2002 when lawmakers adopted a budget on Aug. 31.
They still have a way to go before topping 2008, when lawmakers passed the budget on Sept. 16.
After today's budget exercise, lawmakers are expected to finish with the session's bills before the midnight deadline to adjourn, Trost said, adding that most of the file of legislation should be cleared by Monday.
Though the regular session will be over, lawmakers will have to return to Sacramento if and when there is a budget agreement.
Some bills of interest to the municipal finance industry remained undecided as of Monday morning.
They include a controversial measure that would make it more difficult for local governments and agencies to declare bankruptcy.
Also undecided was a last-minute bill created in the wake of the salary scandal in the city of Bell.
That bill would impose limits on many home-rule charter cities' ability to issue redevelopment agency bonds if their City Council members are paid more than the salary the state permits for those in comparable general-law cities.
On Friday, lawmakers did give final approval to a bill authorizing RDAs to provide loans, loan guarantees, and other financial assistance to businesses in redevelopment project areas for industrial and manufacturing uses if they met one of several criteria, such as increasing employment or reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
