SACRAMENTO – Assemblywoman Nicole M. Parra (D-Hanford) issued the following statement after the Senate and Assembly voted on and passed a state budget:

“I think this is a great, bi-partisan budget that contains a lot of positives for the Central Valley. All along the budget process, there were obstacles to overcome, funding that had to be fought for, but the Valley came out ahead. I am proud to have led the fight to attain a significant funding boost for Valley Fever, the Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, efforts to fight West Nile Virus, high speed rail, and programs to battle methamphetamine production. Furthermore, I would like to applaud my colleagues in the Senate and the Assembly for really taking a close look at the problems facing the Valley and responding accordingly with their support for this budget. I feel strongly that the Governor will be pleased with this budget and that he will retain all the funding proposals for the Valley. All in all, we came out ahead, but the work does not stop here or now. I will continue my work on behalf of my Central Valley constituents, and I hope to usher in even more successes in the future.”

Assemblywoman Parra directed her efforts at winning inclusion of the following Central Valley items in this year’s $103 billion budget by:

• Making a formal Member’s request of $1 million to address the funding of the Valley Fever Vaccine Project, to fund Department of Health Services efforts to mitigate the effects of Valley Fever, including research and development activities for a vaccine;
  
  
• Working with legislative leadership and the Valley delegation to secure $5 million for the Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley that will go toward the implementation of the strategic action plan and a local grant program for the region;
  
  
• Communicating with and urging Governor Schwarzenegger to include funding to combat the West Nile Virus, an action which led to the inclusion of $9 million for mosquito abatement programs;
  
  
• Staying the course with the state’s high speed rail goals by working to obtain $13 million to continue advancing the state’s high speed rail project;
  
  
• Fighting for the inclusion of $6.5 million and 29.6 new positions for the California Methamphetamine Strategy (CALMS) Program, a move that results in additional funding and ten positions (one-third of the 29.6) to be stationed in Fresno;
  
  
• Advocating for and succeeding in ensuring all Central Valley counties can more directly apply for funds as part of a $20 million augmentation to the War on Methamphetamine Grant program.
  

Other key highlights of the budget, to help Valley residents, include:

• The reduction of community college student fees from $26 to $20 per unit effective in the spring of 2007;
  
  
• The approval of $75 million to buy out fee increases for all CSU and UC students – all fees will remain at current year level; and
  
  
• An appropriation of $45 million for the pass-through of the 2.3% federal Cost of Living Adjustment for the SSI portion of the SSI/SSP program on January 1, 2007.

The budget next heads to Governor Schwarzenegger, who has until July 1, 2006 to enact it.