•  Summary 
  •  
  •  Actions 
  •  
  •  Committee Votes 
  •  
  •  Floor Votes 
  •  
  •  Memo 
  •  
  •  Text 
  •  
  •  LFIN 
  •  
  •  Chamber Video/Transcript 

A07185 Summary:

BILL NOA07185
 
SAME ASSAME AS S09635
 
SPONSORLavine
 
COSPNSRPaulin
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Amd Art 7 2 - 6, Constn
 
Provides that the Governor's annual budget proposal to the Legislature shall include statements of any new legislation, amendment to legislation, or limitation on the effect of any legislation contained in the budget; makes related provisions granting the legislature an equal role with the governor in the budget process.
Go to top    

A07185 Actions:

BILL NOA07185
 
05/12/2023referred to ways and means
05/15/2023to attorney-general for opinion
05/26/2023opinion referred to judiciary
01/03/2024referred to ways and means
01/08/2024to attorney-general for opinion
01/26/2024opinion referred to judiciary
Go to top

A07185 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A7185
 
SPONSOR: Lavine
  TITLE OF BILL: CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY proposing an amendment to article 7 of the constitution, relating to content of article VII bills   PURPOSE: To amend the State Constitution to enable the Legislature to play an equal role with the Governor in shaping the state budget.   SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Section 1: Would amend §§ 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of Article VII of the Consti- tution: § 2 would be amended to provide that the Governor's annual budget proposal to the Legislature shall include statements of any new legis- lation, amendment to legislation, or limitation on the effect of any legislation contained in the budget. § 3 would be amended to provide that any new legislation, amendment to legislation, or limitation on the effect of any legislation contained in any bill submitted under Article VII shall be separately stated, in a manner to enable the Legislature and the Governor to act on it under § 4 of Article VII. § 4 would be amended to provide that in addition to striking, reducing or adding items of appropriation, the Legislature may modify or substi- tute items of appropriation and may add, delete, modify or substitute any new legislation, amendment to legislation, or limitation on the effect of any legislation, provided that the additions, modifications and substitutions shall be separately stated. This would also apply to the portions of the budget funding the legislature and the judiciary. The modifications and substitutions (as is now true for additions) will be subject to veto by the Governor, and the veto would be subject to override by the Legislature. Deletions of legislation items would not be subject to veto. § 5 would be amended to repeal the requirement for a Governor's message of necessity to enable the Legislature to act on appropriation bills (for a single object or purpose) of its own before it has acted on the Governor's budget appropriation bills. § 6 would be amended to clarify that if the Governor vetoes a separate appropriation bill, the veto may be overridden. It would also be amended ..to provide for legislative action on supplemental budget bills similar to actions on the main budget. Section 2 provides for referral of the bill to the next separately elected session of the Legislature and publication.   JUSTIFICATION: Separation of powers and checks and balances are fundamental to America democracy. In New York, the state budget is central to public policy making. It-controls not only appropriations but also most legislative activity each year. Yet under our state constitution, as written and as interpreted by a series of court decisions over decades, this central part of state government does not follow the doctrines of separation of powers and checks and balances. The Legislature may eliminate, reduce, increase or add items of appro- priation. However, the Legislature is barred from modifying any appro- priation. This has been interpreted to bar the Legislature from substi- tuting an appropriation from one that is deleted or reduced. This severely limits the Legislature's ability to fulfill its proper consti- tutional role, especially as more and more substantive legislation is incorporated in the budget. When the current system of gubernatorial dominance and the Legislature's subsidiary role is described to individual New Yorkers, they find it hard to believe the system is so lopsided. This amendment would provide the Legislature - the branch of government closest to individual New Yorkers - with the full-fledged role in budget-making and legislating contemplated by our nation and state's founders.   LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 2020: A9100 Referred to W&M / Senate Judiciary 2022: A1928 referred to opinion referred to judiciary/ Senate opinion referred to judiciary   FISCAL: None   EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1 after approval by the voters.
Go to top

A07185 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          7185
 
                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                      May 12, 2023
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced by M. of A. LAVINE -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Ways and Means
 
                    CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY
 
        proposing  an  amendment  to  article 7 of the constitution, relating to
          content of article VII bills
 
     1    Section 1. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That section 2 of  article
     2  7 of the constitution be amended to read as follows:
     3    §  2.  Annually,  on  or before the first day of February in each year
     4  following the year fixed by the constitution for the election of  gover-
     5  nor and lieutenant governor, and on or before the second Tuesday follow-
     6  ing the first day of the annual meeting of the legislature, in all other
     7  years,  the governor shall submit to the legislature a budget containing
     8  a complete plan of expenditures proposed to be made before the close  of
     9  the  ensuing  fiscal  year  and  all moneys and revenues estimated to be
    10  available therefor, together with an explanation of the  basis  of  such
    11  estimates  and recommendations as to proposed legislation, if any, which
    12  the governor may deem necessary to provide moneys  and  revenues  suffi-
    13  cient  to  meet  such  proposed expenditures. It shall also contain such
    14  other recommendations and information as the governor  may  deem  proper
    15  and  such  additional information as may be required by law.  The budget
    16  shall include statements of any new  legislation,  amendment  to  legis-
    17  lation,  or limitation on the effect of any legislation contained in the
    18  budget.
    19    § 2. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That section 3 of article  7  of
    20  the constitution be amended to read as follows:
    21    §  3.  At  the  time  of  submitting the budget to the legislature the
    22  governor shall submit a bill or bills containing all the proposed appro-
    23  priations and reappropriations included in the budget and  the  proposed
    24  legislation, if any, recommended therein.
    25    The  governor  may at any time within thirty days thereafter and, with
    26  the consent of the legislature, at any time before the adjournment ther-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD89114-01-3

        A. 7185                             2
 
     1  eof, amend or supplement the budget and submit amendments to  any  bills
     2  submitted by him or her or submit supplemental bills.
     3    Any  new  legislation,  amendment to legislation, or limitation on the
     4  effect of any legislation contained in any  bill  submitted  under  this
     5  section  shall  be separately stated, in a manner to enable the legisla-
     6  ture and the governor to act in relation to that matter under section  4
     7  of this article.
     8    The governor and the heads of departments shall have the right, and it
     9  shall  be  the duty of the heads of departments when requested by either
    10  house of the legislature or an appropriate committee thereof, to  appear
    11  and  be heard in respect to the budget during the consideration thereof,
    12  and to answer inquiries relevant thereto. The procedure for such appear-
    13  ances and inquiries shall be provided by law.
    14    § 3. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That section 4 of article  7  of
    15  the constitution be amended to read as follows:
    16    §  4.  The legislature may [not] alter an appropriation bill submitted
    17  by the governor [except] to strike out or reduce items therein, [but  it
    18  may]  to  add thereto items of appropriation, or to modify or substitute
    19  items of appropriation (including adding, deleting, modifying or substi-
    20  tuting any new legislation, amendment to legislation, or  limitation  on
    21  the  effect of any legislation); provided that such additions, modifica-
    22  tions, and substitutions are stated separately and distinctly  from  the
    23  original items of the bill and refer each to a single object or purpose.
    24  [None  of  the  restrictions  of  this  section, however, shall apply to
    25  appropriations for the legislature or judiciary.]
    26    Such an appropriation bill shall when passed by both houses be  a  law
    27  immediately  without  further action by the governor, except that appro-
    28  priations for the legislature and judiciary and separate items added  to
    29  and modifications or substitutions of the governor's bills by the legis-
    30  lature  shall  be  subject to approval of the governor and action by the
    31  legislature as provided in section 7 of article IV.  Provided,  however,
    32  that  where  a  modification  or  substitution  by  the legislature is a
    33  deletion of new legislation, a deletion of an amendment to  legislation,
    34  or  a  deletion of a limitation on the effect of any legislation, any of
    35  which were submitted by the governor under this article, it shall not be
    36  subject to approval of the governor.
    37    § 4. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That section 5 of article  7  of
    38  the constitution be amended to read as follows:
    39    §  5.  [Neither house of the] The legislature [shall] may consider any
    40  other bill making an appropriation [until all] whether  or  not  it  has
    41  acted  on  the appropriation bills submitted by the governor [shall have
    42  been finally acted on by both houses, except on message from the  gover-
    43  nor  certifying  to  the  necessity  of  the immediate passage of such a
    44  bill].
    45    § 5. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That section 6 of article  7  of
    46  the constitution be amended to read as follows:
    47    § 6. Except for appropriations contained in the bills submitted by the
    48  governor  and  in  a  supplemental appropriation bill for the support of
    49  government, no appropriations shall be made  except  by  separate  bills
    50  each  for  a  single  object or purpose. All such bills and such supple-
    51  mental appropriation bill shall be subject to  the  governor's  approval
    52  and action by the legislature as provided in section 7 of article IV.
    53    No  provision shall be embraced in any appropriation bill submitted by
    54  the governor or  in  such  supplemental  appropriation  bill  unless  it
    55  relates  specifically  to some particular appropriation in the bill, and

        A. 7185                             3
 
     1  any such provision shall be limited in its operation to  such  appropri-
     2  ation.
     3    Any  new  legislation,  amendment to legislation, or limitation on the
     4  effect of any legislation contained in a supplemental appropriation bill
     5  under this section shall be separately stated, in a manner to enable the
     6  legislature and the governor to act in relation  to  that  matter  under
     7  section 7 of article IV, and shall be subject to the governor's approval
     8  and action by the legislature as provided in section 7 of article IV.
     9    § 6. Resolved (if the Senate concur), That the foregoing amendments be
    10  referred  to  the  first regular legislative session convening after the
    11  next succeeding general election of members of  the  assembly,  and,  in
    12  conformity  with  section  1  of  article  19  of  the  constitution, be
    13  published for 3 months previous to the time of such election.
Go to top