| Last Updated: | 5/20/2010 |
| Budget Issue: | Proposed new Control Section 23.25. |
| Program: | Department of Health Care Services- Medi-Cal |
| Finding or Recommendation: | Reject the proposed new control section 23.25. We believe that changes to appropriations for the purpose of implementing federal health care reform should be subject to the same legislative oversight as other changes to appropriations. |
The proposed Control Section 23.25 would give the Director of Finance broad authority to adjust any item of appropriation in the budget act for the purpose of implementing the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. We believe that the authority of this language is too open-ended and does not allow for appropriate legislative oversight. In addition, the Department of Finance has not identified any specific examples of how it would use this authority that could not be addressed through existing budget control sections.