SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers on Thursday approved a $214.8 billion state budget that would spend more on health care and education, bolster the state's top firefighting agency following devastating wildfire seasons, and boost state reserves.
The spending plan was passed with separate votes by the state Assembly and Senate. It now goes to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is expected to sign it in the coming days.
"What a luxury we have, to get to stand here and argue over where we should put our savings, how we should spend some of the additional money we have to support struggling Californians," said Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, a San Diego Democrat.
Democrats in both chambers overwhelmingly backed the budget, while Republicans rejected it, arguing it spends money on the wrong priorities.
The massive bill, totaling more than 900 pages, divvies up tax dollars in the nation's most populous state. Lawmakers must still pass more than a dozen other trailer bills to implement it.
The measures could contain important details, including implementing a monthly fee on cellphone bills to pay for upgrades to the 911 system.
The spending plan is the first under Newsom, who took office in January and has positioned himself as resistor-in-chief to Republican President Donald Trump.
The Trump administration has sought to weaken former President Barack Obama's health care law by eliminating a tax on people who refuse to purchase private health insurance.
The proposed budget before Newsom would bring that tax back, using part of the money to make California the first state in the country to help middle class families pay a portion of their monthly health insurance premiums.
While the Trump administration continues to crack down on illegal immigration, the budget...
