Relates to the sufficiency of itemization in the state budget; requires budget bills to clearly reference the section in the accompanying bill or bills where the corresponding appropriation or reappropriation can be located and requires that the legislature not act upon bills that neglect to do so.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A9550
SPONSOR: Oaks
 
TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the legislative law and the state
finance law, in relation to sufficiency of itemization in budget bills
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To set parameters for the content of budget bills, ensuring that budget
negotiations are focused on financial, not policy issues
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1. The legislative law is amended by adding a new section 53-a
which would require budget bills be sufficiently itemized by setting
forth, with particularity, the section of the corresponding appropri-
ation
Section 2. The opening paragraph of subdivision 1 of section 24 of the
state finance law, as amended by chapter 1 of the laws of 2007, is
amended to require budget bills clearly reference the section in the
accompanying bill or bills where the corresponding appropriation or
re-appropriation can be located
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Negotiating the $150 Billion state budget is an extremely complex proc-
ess. The Governor and both houses of the Legislature must come together
to determine how much money there is to spend, allocating funding
increases or cuts to a broad range of programs based on different prior-
ities, and making difficult decisions relating to taxes, debt and
borrowing.
Further complicating the budget process are the various policy initi-
atives that are included in the budget, despite having little direct
fiscal impact in the current year.
In recent years, the major areas of budget debate were not financial,
they were significant policy changes that would have been more suited
for debate as separate bills. The goal of this legislation is to exclude
major policy debate from the budget.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9550
IN ASSEMBLY
January 23, 2018
___________
Introduced by M. of A. OAKS -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Ways and Means
AN ACT to amend the legislative law and the state finance law, in
relation to sufficiency of itemization in budget bills
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The legislative law is amended by adding a new section 53-a
2 to read as follows:
3 § 53-a. Budget item identification and limitation. All budget bills
4 submitted by the governor pursuant to section three of article seven of
5 the constitution, containing proposed legislation, shall clearly identi-
6 fy a corresponding appropriation within the budget appropriation bills
7 submitted by the governor for that fiscal year. The legislature shall
8 not act upon budget bills, pursuant to section three of article seven of
9 the constitution submitted by the governor, unless such bills have been
10 sufficiently itemized by setting forth, with particularity, the section
11 of the corresponding appropriation. Provided, however, this section
12 shall not apply to proposed legislation that amends the tax law.
13 § 2. The opening paragraph of subdivision 1 of section 24 of the state
14 finance law, as amended by chapter 1 of the laws of 2007, is amended to
15 read as follows:
16 The budget submitted annually by the governor shall be simultaneously
17 accompanied by a bill or bills for all proposed appropriations and reap-
18 propriations and for the proposed measures of taxation or other legis-
19 lation, if any, recommended therein. Such bills shall be submitted by
20 the governor and shall be known as budget bills. Such budget bills shall
21 clearly reference the section in the accompanying bill or bills where
22 the corresponding appropriation or reappropriation can be located.
23 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14176-01-8