During last week’s hearing of the Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Health and Human Services, Senator Bill Emmerson (R- Hemet) opposed the majority party’s motion to repeal the 2009 language directing the state to move towards a single, centralized system for Medi-Cal, CalWORKS, and Food Stamp programs. This action by Democrats has resulted in jeopardizing more than $1.3 billion in federal funds that the state has conditionally received.

“This is just another example of the Democrats’ unwillingness to enact crucial government reforms,” Senator Emmerson said.  “Even though California has a $16 billion budget deficit, the majority party voted to risk $1.3 billion, further demonstrating that legislative Democrats are not really taking our current economic crisis seriously.”

In 2011 California applied to the federal government requesting $1.3 billion in funding as part of an ongoing effort to streamline the multiple systems counties use to determine eligibility and manage enrollment in the state’s largest welfare programs. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) responded last month that they were “conditionally” approving the funding request, contingent upon California continuing to migrate towards one centralized eligibility and management system by 2020.