The California State Legislature voted on a package of coronavirus response bills before voting to suspend session.
The Assembly and Senate voted to authorize on Bills 89 and 117.
Assembly and Senate Bill 89 is a budget bill, authored by Asm. Phil Ting (D–San Francisco) dedicates $500 million of general fund dollars to aid in the state’s coronavirus response.
Legislators were briefed on potential uses of the half-billion dollars, including leasing two hospitals, providing hotel beds for the homeless, funding in-home support services for isolated senior citizens, and cleaning of child care facilities to ensure they remain open.
Assembly Bill 89 also allows for the coronavirus allocation to be increased in $50 million increments to no more than $1 billion. It also includes $84 million in funding for tree removal related to the Camp Fire.
Assembly Bill 117, also drafted by Ting, appropriates $100 million in spending for school districts to purchase equipment and fund staff to sanitize school sites.
Hours after authorizing the two bills, both houses voted to adjourn through April 13.
A Capitol source told The Sun on Monday afternoon that essential legislative staff were told to request remote access to the state’s networks to enable them to work from home, the source said.
