ACA 37

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Existing provisions of the California Constitution require the Governor to submit to the Legislature, within the first 10 days of each calendar year, a proposed budget for the ensuing fiscal year containing itemized statements for recommended state expenditures and estimated state revenues. In addition, the Constitution prohibits the Legislature from passing, and the Governor from signing, a Budget Bill that would appropriate from the General Fund a total amount that, when combined with all appropriations from the General Fund for that fiscal year made as of the date of the Budget Bill's passage, and the amount of any General Fund moneys transferred to a reserve account, exceeds estimated General Fund revenues for that fiscal year. The estimate of General Fund revenues is required to be set forth in the Budget Bill. This measure would require the Governor in his or her proposed budget to identify estimated total state resources available to meet recommended state expenditures and to further identify the amount of those resources that are anticipated to be one-time resources. The measure would prohibit passage of a Budget Bill that appropriates an amount that, when combined with prior appropriations and transfers to the reserve account, exceeds the estimate of General Fund revenues, transfers, and balances available from the prior fiscal year. The measure would require the estimate of General Fund revenues, transfers, and balances to be set forth in the Budget Bill. Existing provisions of the California Constitution establish the Budget Stabilization Account in the General Fund and currently require the Controller, no later than September 30 of each year, to transfer from the General Fund to the account a sum equal to 3% of the estimated amount of General Fund revenues for the current fiscal year. This transfer of moneys is not required, unless otherwise directed by the Legislature by statute, in any fiscal year to the extent that the resulting balance in the account would exceed 5% of the General Fund revenues estimate set forth in the Budget Bill for that fiscal year, as enacted, or $8,000,000,000, whichever is greater. This transfer of moneys also may be suspended or reduced for a fiscal year as specified by an executive order issued by the Governor no later than June 1 of the preceding fiscal year. Of the moneys transferred to the account in each fiscal year, 50%, up to an aggregate amount of $5,000,000,000 for all fiscal years, is deposited in the Deficit Recovery Bond Retirement Sinking Fund Subaccount and continuously appropriated to the Treasurer for the purpose of retiring deficit recovery bonds. All other moneys transferred to the account in a fiscal year are not deposited in the sinking fund subaccount and may, by statute, be transferred back to the General Fund. This measure would rename this account the Budget Stabilization Fund. This measure would also provide that the transfer of moneys from the General Fund to the Budget Stabilization Fund is not required in any fiscal year to the extent that the resulting balance in the fund would exceed 12.5% of the General Fund revenues estimate set forth in the Budget Bill for that fiscal year, as enacted, and would delete the alternative $8,000,000,000 limit on the fund. This measure would provide that, apart from a transfer made for the purpose of responding to an emergency declared by the Governor, as defined, or a loan to meet General Fund cash requirements which would be repaid within a fiscal year, the total amount that may be transferred from the Budget Stabilization Fund to the General Fund for any fiscal year shall not exceed the amount derived by subtracting the General Fund revenues, transfers, and balances available from the prior fiscal year for that fiscal year from the expenditure forecast amount for the current fiscal year, determined as total General Fund expenditures for the immediately preceding fiscal year adjusted for changes in population and the cost of living. This measure would require the Director of Finance, on or before May 29 of each year, to report to the Legislature and the Governor (1) an estimate of the amount of General Fund revenues, transfers, and balances available from the prior fiscal year for the current fiscal year, (2) the revenue forecast amount, as defined, for the current fiscal year, and (3) an estimate of specified General Fund obligations for the public schools that have not yet been funded by the state. This measure would provide that if, pursuant to a formula based on those figures, there are unanticipated revenues in the current fiscal year, those revenues may be used only for specified purposes, and in a specified order of priority.