Archive: Budget

  • Federal Funds Commission Act January 15, 2014

    Federal Funds Commission Act Summary This bill creates the Federal Funds Commission to study and make recommendations on federal funding in a state’s budget, assess risks of a significant loss of federal funding, and contingency plans for continued services from the state in the event of a reduction of federal assistance. Model Policy {Title, Enacting Clause, etc.}   Section 1. This Act may be cited as the Federal Funds Commission Act. Section 2. {Definitions.}   (A) “Commission” means the {insert state} Federal Funds Commission. Section 3. {Commission Creation and Members.} (A) There is created an advisory commission known as the Federal […]

  • Committee to Reduce Government Waste & Nonessential Expenditures August 5, 2013

    Committee to Reduce Government Waste & Nonessential Expenditures Summary As a way to pay for World War II without raising taxes, the Joint Committee on Reduction of Nonessential Federal Expenditures was created at the federal level in 1941. The committee was proposed by Sen. Harry F. Byrd (D., Va.) and worked like an anti-appropriations committee. During the postwar years, the committee saved the equivalent of $38 billion in today’s dollars. It was because of the committee that the Civilian Conservation Corps was eliminated and the Work Progress Administration was scaled back. The state of {insert state} believes that a similar […]

  • Balanced Budget Certification Act March 15, 2013

     Balanced Budget Certification Act Summary Proposing a constitutional amendment requiring {Appropriate Statewide Elected Official Not Involved in Writing or Approving the State Budget} to estimate state revenues and certify that all spending proposed by the Legislature is funded with available revenue. BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF {insert state}: Section 1. Article xx, {insert state} Constitution, is amended by adding Section xx to read as follows: Section xx: {Financial Statement and Estimate by {Appropriate Official}; Limitation of Appropriations} (A) It shall be the duty of the {Appropriate Statewide Elected Official Not Involved in Writing or Approving […]

  • Resolution on Effects of Defense Sequestration on US National Security and the US Economy March 15, 2013

    Resolution on Effects of Defense Sequestration on US National Security and the US Economy Summary This resolution addresses the bipartisan concern that defense sequestration, or the automatic spending cuts to the defense budget, will have a significant national security impact and will have severe economic consequences for the states. This resolution would call for all policy makers to work together to form a solution that averts defense sequestration. Cuts to the defense budget would come from the National Guard and affect a state’s ability to respond to natural disasters, and cuts to the manufacturing base would result in the loss […]

  • Federal Receipts Reporting Requirements Act March 15, 2013

    Federal Receipts Reporting Requirements Act Summary This bill requires all state agencies and political subdivisions to disclose (i) total federal receipts; (ii) the percentage such receipts are of their respective budget, and (iii) what their specific contingency plan is if federal receipts are diminished. Model Legislation {Title, enacting clause, etc.} Section 1 {Title} This act may be cited as the Federal Receipts Reporting Requirements Act. Section 2 {Definitions.} (A) As used in this section: (1)   “Designated state agency” means the [list state departments]. (2)   “Designated state agency” does not include the judicial branch, the legislative branch, or an office or […]

  • 72- Hour Budget Review Act March 15, 2013

     72- Hour Budget Review Act Section 1. {Title} (A) This Act shall be known and may be cited as the “72-Hour Budget Review Act.” Section 2. {Statement of Purpose} (A) The Legislature finds that public participation in the legislative process improves the quality of proposed legislation by allowing the opportunity for its detailed review by interested parties. The opportunity for a detailed review by the public prior to hearings or votes on legislation helps increase public trust in government and enhances respect for the Legislature by ensuring that its operation is conducted with the openness, order, and dignity befitting [insert […]

  • Efficiency in Government Act March 15, 2013

    Efficiency in Government Act Summary This bill establishes a framework for promoting bidding and streamlining government activities at the State level. It allows State officials to consider government priorities by determining what activities are inherently governmental and which could be more efficiency provided by a private source. The process described in this bill should bring a decrease in the number of goods and services delivered by the government while ensuring that those goods and services are still available. If done prudently, privatization has the potential to increase efficiency, effectiveness, and reduce the tax burden. Working groups are established to evaluate […]

  • Congressional Delegate Mandate Constitution Act March 15, 2013

    Congressional Delegate Mandate Constitution Act Summary Unfunded federal mandates on state and local governments have become a tremendous financial burden. It has been estimated that during the 1990s, state and local governments will spend more than $200 billion to comply with current federal waste water mandates alone. The state of Ohio expects to spend almost $3 billion complying with environmental mandates over the next decade, and New York City estimates it will spend $4.6 billion for unfunded mandates on ocean dumping and safe drinking water. This Act requires that all members of the state’s Delegation to the U.S. Congress are […]

  • Budget Reserve Account Act March 15, 2013

    Budget Reserve Account Act Summary To help protect a state from sudden, unanticipated revenue shortfalls, budget reserve accounts should be implemented. These special funds provide a cushion for states in the event of economic hard times. Instead of immediately raising taxes, borrowing money, or slashing budgets, the budget reserve account can be tapped. This Act calls for a constitutional provision to establish a budget reserve account where, within forty-five days after the end of any fiscal year, excess funds from the year are to be deposited. It limits the deposit to no more than 5 percent of estimated general fund […]

  • Conditional Federal Funds Control Act March 15, 2013

    Conditional Federal Funds Control Act Summary     The purpose of this legislation is to coordinate the acceptance of federal conditional funds among the several states. Conditional federal fund programs (such as Medicaid) now account for 40 percent of the average state budget. The conditions attached to such funds diminish the states’ flexibility and erode the responsiveness of state government to local preferences. Individual states that refuse federal funds in order to escape the conditions face the onerous penalty of losing billions of their residents’ tax dollars to other states. An effective solution would be to use “reciprocal legislation” to forge […]