15100592D
SENATE BILL NO. 826
Offered January 14, 2015
Prefiled January 5, 2015
A BILL to amend and reenact §2.2-1509 of the Code of Virginia, relating to limitations on appropriations.
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Patron-- Martin
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Referred to Committee on Finance
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §2.2-1509 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§2.2-1509. Budget bill.

A. (Effective until July 1, 2017) On or before December 20 of the year immediately prior to the beginning of each regular session of the General Assembly held in an even-numbered year, the Governor also shall submit to the presiding officer of each house of the General Assembly, at the same time he submits "The Executive Budget," copies of a tentative bill for all proposed appropriations of the budget, for each year in the ensuing biennial appropriation period, which shall be known as "The Budget Bill." "The Budget Bill" shall be organized by function, primary agency, and proposed appropriation item and shall include (i) an identification of, and authorization for, common programs and (ii) the appropriation of funds according to programs. Strategic plan information and performance measurement results developed by each agency shall be made available to the General Assembly as it considers "The Budget Bill." Except as expressly provided in an appropriation act, whenever the amounts in a schedule for a single appropriation item are shown in two or more lines, the portions of the total amount shown on separate lines are for information purposes only and are not limiting. No such bill shall contain any appropriation the expenditure of which is contingent upon the receipt of revenues in excess of funds unconditionally appropriated.

A. (Effective July 1, 2017) On or before December 20 of the year immediately prior to the beginning of each regular session of the General Assembly held in an even-numbered year, the Governor also shall submit to the presiding officer of each house of the General Assembly, at the same time he submits "The Executive Budget," copies of a tentative bill for all proposed appropriations of the budget, for each year in the ensuing biennial appropriation period, which shall be known as "The Budget Bill." "The Budget Bill" shall be organized by function, primary agency, and proposed appropriation item and shall include an identification of, and authorization for, common programs and the appropriation of funds according to programs. Except as expressly provided in an appropriation act, whenever the amounts in a schedule for a single appropriation item are shown in two or more lines, the portions of the total amount shown on separate lines are for information purposes only and are not limiting. No such bill shall contain any appropriation the expenditure of which is contingent upon the receipt of revenues in excess of funds unconditionally appropriated.

B. The salary proposed for payment for the position of each cabinet secretary and administrative head of each agency and institution of the executive branch of state government shall be specified in "The Budget Bill," showing the salary ranges and levels proposed for such positions.

C. "The Budget Bill" shall include all proposed capital appropriations, including each capital project to be financed through revenue bonds or other debt issuance, the amount of each project, and the identity of the entity that will issue the debt.

D. Concurrently with the submission of "The Budget Bill," the Governor shall submit a tentative bill involving a request for authorization of additional bonded indebtedness if its issuance is authorized by, or its repayment is proposed to be made in whole or in part, from revenues or appropriations contained in "The Budget Bill."

E. On or before December 20 of the year immediately prior to the beginning of each regular session held in an odd-numbered year of the General Assembly, the Governor shall submit to the presiding officer of each house printed copies of all gubernatorial amendments proposed to the general appropriation act adopted in the immediately preceding even-numbered year session. In preparing the amendments, the Governor may obtain estimates in the manner prescribed in §§2.2-1504, 2.2-1505, and 2.2-1506. On the same date he shall also submit a tentative bill during the second year of the appropriation period, a request for authorization of additional bonded indebtedness if its issuance is authorized by, or its repayment is proposed to be made in whole or in part, from revenues or appropriations contained in the proposed gubernatorial amendments.

F. The proposed capital appropriations or capital projects described in, or for which proposed appropriations are made pursuant to, this section shall include the capital outlay projects required to be included in "The Budget Bill" pursuant to §2.2-1509.1. The Governor shall propose appropriations for such capital outlay projects in "The Budget Bill" in accordance with the minimum amount of funding and the designated sources of funding for such projects as required under §2.2-1509.1.

G. Beginning with the Commonwealth's fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2016, the Governor shall ensure that state appropriations from state sources shall not increase in any fiscal year at a rate that exceeds the increase in Virginia's population, as determined by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, plus the rate of inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, U.S. City Average, all items as published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.