With the new agreement made on Tuesday by Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders, California will become the first state to offer Medicaid to children in the nation illegally. Under the agreement, a slight increase will be done in funding for child care and higher education.

At a news conference, Brown made the announcement. He said that he will call two special sessions this summer to address the matter with regard to Medi Cal, a health program funded by state and federal money for the poor.

Brown affirmed that they are quite clear about this plan. But he also affirmed that in the coming months, they have to manage their resources. Brown has also agreed to utilize $226 million in one-time money in order to save a 7% reduction in service hours for recipients of state-funded home care.

Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, was of the view that it is one of the best budgets they have seen in so many years. On other hand, anti-poverty advocates have termed the plan to be a raw deal for a number of Californians that are still struggling to make their ends meet.

“In a year in which the state is receiving enormous revenue increases, it is unimaginable that the budget would provide so little for those who have the greatest needs”, said Michael Herald, an advocate for the Western Center on Law and Poverty, and termed the budget to be ‘a tragic missed opportunity’.