California State Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) on Monday announced the two legislative bodies came to an agreement on the coming year’s budget.

The two released the following statement about the Legislature reaching agreement on the 2023-24 fiscal year budget.

“The Senate and Assembly have reached a two-party agreement on a balanced and responsible budget, and we are continuing to negotiate and make progress on three-party final budget. We will be voting on the Legislative Budget Agreement on Thursday, which will enable us to meet our constitutional deadline.

“We appreciate the dedication of our budget chairs, Senator Nancy Skinner and Assemblymember Phil Ting, and our budget subcommittee chairs, and staff, who have been working tirelessly to deliver a pragmatic budget that protects our progress for California.”

Atkins and Rendon went on to say that, as it has been in years past, once an agreement is reached between the Legislature and Governor, amendments to this budget bill will be introduced to reflect that agreement.

The budget bill is in print and contained in AB 101 and SB 101.

Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, also made a statement regarding the plan.

“The Assembly and the Senate budget plan allows us to not only protect the progress we’ve made in improving the lives of Californians, but also increase our investments in education, homeless programs, affordable housing, climate protection and childcare. At the same time, we are being responsible, expanding the state’s reserves and rainy day funds to safeguard against any economic downturns that may occur down the road.”

Ting said legislators are also “mindful of the challenge that our transit agencies are facing, which is why the legislative budget provides $5.1 billion to transit agencies to address the fiscal cliff.”

The funding would allow flexibility, enabling capital funds to also be used for operations over the next three years.

“But, as I have always said, this would and should be contingent upon meeting accountability measures, which are being finalized,” Ting pointed out. “Transit must show us how they will bring riders back. Ridership numbers will not increase unless they address a number of issues, including safety, cleanliness, and the creation of a seamless transit system. I am confident we will be able to reach consensus on how public transportation can better serve Californians.”