H-0624.2                  _______________________________________________

                                                      HOUSE BILL 1380

                              _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              53rd Legislature                             1993 Regular Session

By Representatives Morton, Ballasiotes, Tate, Vance, Fuhrman, Silver, Schoesler, Sheahan, Thomas, Stevens, Reams, Dyer, Horn, Sehlin, Padden, Casada, Foreman, Brumsickle, Brough, Roland, Springer and Lisk

Read first time 01/27/93.  Referred to Committee on Appropriations.

Linking appropriations to revenue received.

          AN ACT Relating to appropriations based on revenue received; adding a new section to chapter 43.88 RCW; creating new sections; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that state government is funded by taxpayers who work hard to provide for themselves, their families, their occupations, and their businesses.  These persons must exercise fiscal responsibility in order to meet their needs and yet live within their means according to the incomes they receive.  The legislature further finds that basing appropriations on forecasts of future revenues has driven government spending higher and higher and created the need for more and more taxes.

          The citizens of Washington state have a right to expect state government to live within its means; to eliminate waste in government programs and agencies; to provide efficient, cost-effective services; to establish spending priorities and planning; to ensure balanced budgets without imposing new taxes and other costs on taxpayers; and to make appropriations based more closely on the revenues they will actually receive.

          Therefore, the legislature declares there is a substantial public purpose in protecting taxpayers by ensuring state government is fiscally responsible.  To accomplish this purpose, it is the intent of the legislature to require state government to make budgets and appropriations based more closely on revenues it actually received rather than on forecast of future revenues.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 43.88 RCW to read as follows:

          All state appropriations shall be based on revenues actually received during the second previous quarter.  As an example, total appropriations for the July through September quarter may not exceed total revenues actually received from the previous January through March quarter, and so forth accordingly.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  This act may be known and cited as "the government budget and appropriation accountability act."

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.  If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.  This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.

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