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The spending plan was adopted with separate votes by the State Assembly and the Senate. He is now back to Governor Gavin Newsom, who is expected to sign it in the coming days. (AP Photo / Rich Pedroncelli, File)
The California legislature has adopted a budget of $ 214.8 billion, the package to land on the desk of Governor Gavin Newsom.
The budget includes funds to provide taxpayer-funded health insurance to certain low-income, illegal immigrants. It also authorizes spending of $ 2.4 billion to address the housing crisis and the state's homelessness.
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While the Trump government continues to crack down on illegal immigration, the budget passed Thursday would make California the first state to offer some illegal immigrants government-funded health insurance.
The health care provided to these people is part of the Democrats' plan to ensure that everyone in California is covered by health insurance.
The proposal has angered Republican lawmakers, who argue that it is unfair to tax people who are legally in the country not to buy health insurance while making people living in the country illegally eligible for financed by the taxpayer.
"I just do not have the priority," said Republican Senator John Moorlach of Costa Mesa before the vote. He noted that he had legally immigrated to the United States from the Netherlands in 1960.
Low-income illegal immigrants aged 19 to 25 would benefit from government-funded health insurance. It would cost about $ 98 million to cover about 90,000 people.
Families of four people earning up to $ 150,500 a year would be helped to pay monthly health insurance premiums.
People who refuse to take out health insurance will have to pay a tax.
The budget would spend $ 17.1 million to help Medi-Cal users access creams and washes for vision, hearing, incontinence, podiatry and speech therapy.
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The state would give $ 650 million to local governments to fight homelessness and inject $ 500 million into a tax credit program to boost residential rental housing construction.
Legislators would spend $ 5 million in subsidies for homeless shelters so that they can accommodate pets.
Newsom should sign the budget in the coming days. He has 12 days to review the bill and is likely to sign it.
The spending plan is the first under Newsom, which took office in January and is positioned as Trump's chief resistance.
The Trump administration has sought to weaken the health care law of former President Barack Obama by removing a tax on people who refuse to take out private health insurance.
"What luxury we have, to be able to stand here and discuss where we should put our savings, how we should spend some of the extra money we have to support Californians in trouble," he said. said Senate Speaker, Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, San Diego Democrat.
Atkins called it the best state budget in 20 years.
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The massive bill, totaling more than 900 pages, divides taxes in the most populous state in the country. Lawmakers still have to enact more than a dozen other trailer bills to implement it.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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