AN ACT Relating to state budgeting, accounting, and reporting; amending RCW 43.88.010, 43.88.020, 43.88.030, 43.88.110, 43.88.160, and 43.88.210; creating a new section; and repealing RCW 43.88.111 and 43.88.112.

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

Sec. 1. Section 43.88.010, chapter 8, Laws of 1965 as last amended by section 1, chapter 270, Laws of 1981 and RCW 43.88.010 are each amended to read as follows:

It is the purpose of this chapter to establish an effective ((~~budget and~~)) state budgeting, accounting, and reporting system for all activities of the state government, including both capital and operating expenditures; to prescribe the powers and duties of the governor as these relate to securing such fiscal controls as will promote effective budget administration; and to prescribe the responsibilities of agencies of the executive branch of the state government.

It is the intent of the legislature that the powers conferred by this chapter, as amended, shall be exercised by the executive in cooperation with the legislature and its standing, special, and interim committees in its status as a separate and coequal branch of state government.

Sec. 2. Section 1, chapter 36, Laws of 1982 1st ex. sess. as amended by section 6, chapter 138, Laws of 1984 and RCW 43.88.020 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) "Budget" shall mean a proposed plan of expenditures for a given period or purpose and the proposed means for financing these expenditures.

(2) "Budget document" shall mean a formal, written statement offered by the governor to the legislature, as provided in RCW 43.88.030.

(3) "Director of financial management" shall mean the official appointed by the governor to serve at the governor's pleasure and to whom the governor may delegate necessary authority to carry out the governor's duties as provided in this chapter. The director of financial management shall be head of the office of financial management which shall be in the office of the governor.

(4) "Agency" shall mean and include every state office, officer, each institution, whether educational, correctional or other, and every department, division, board and commission, except as otherwise provided in this chapter.

(5) "Public funds", for purposes of this chapter, shall mean all moneys, including cash, checks, bills, notes, drafts, stocks and bonds, whether held in trust, for operating purposes, or for capital purposes, and collected or disbursed under law, whether or not such funds are otherwise subject to legislative appropriation, including funds maintained outside the state treasury.

(6) "Regulations" shall mean the policies, standards and requirements, stated in writing, designed to carry out the purposes of this chapter, as issued by the governor or his designated agent, and which shall have the force and effect of law.

(7) "Ensuing biennium" shall mean the fiscal biennium beginning on July 1st of the same year in which a regular session of the legislature is held during an odd-numbered year pursuant to Article II, section 12 of the Constitution and which biennium next succeeds the current biennium.

(8) "Dedicated fund" means a fund in the state treasury, or a separate account or fund in the general fund in the state treasury, that by law is dedicated, appropriated or set aside for a limited object or purpose; but "dedicated fund" shall not include a revolving fund or a trust fund.

(9) "Revolving fund" means a fund in the state treasury, established by law, from which is paid the cost of goods or services furnished to or by a state agency, and which is replenished through charges made for such goods or services or through transfers from other accounts or funds.

(10) "Trust fund" means a fund in the state treasury in which designated persons or classes of persons have a vested beneficial interest or equitable ownership, or which was created or established by a gift, grant, contribution, devise, or bequest that limits the use of the fund to designated objects or purposes.

(11) "Administrative expenses" means expenditures for: (a) Salaries, wages, and related costs of personnel and (b) operations and maintenance including but not limited to costs of supplies, materials, services, and equipment.

(12) "Fiscal year" means the year beginning July 1st and ending the following June 30th.

(13) "Lapse" means the termination of authority to expend an appropriation.

(14) "Legislative fiscal committees" means the legislative budget committee, the legislative evaluation and accountability program committee, the ways and means committees of the senate and house of representatives, and, where appropriate, the legislative transportation committee.

(15) "Fiscal period" means the period for which an appropriation is made as specified within the act making the appropriation.

(16) "Primary budget driver" means the primary determinant of a budget level, other than a price variable, which causes or is associated with the major expenditure of an agency or budget unit within an agency, such as a caseload, enrollment, workload, or population statistic.

(17) "Stabilization account" means the budget stabilization account created under RCW 43.88.525 as an account in the general fund of the state treasury.

(18) "State tax revenue limit" means the limitation created by chapter 43.135 RCW.

(19) "General state revenues" means the revenues defined by Article VIII, section 1(c) of the state Constitution.

(20) "Annual growth rate in real personal income" means the estimated percentage growth in personal income for the state during the current fiscal year, expressed in constant value dollars, as published by the office of financial management or its successor agency.

(21) "Estimated revenues" means estimates of revenue in the most recent official economic and revenue forecast prepared under RCW 82.01.120.

(22) "State budgeting, accounting, and reporting system" means a system that gathers, maintains, and communicates fiscal information. The system links fiscal information beginning with development of agency budget requests through adoption of legislative appropriations to tracking actual receipts and expenditures against approved plans.

(23) "Allotment of appropriation" means the agency's statement of proposed expenditures, the director of financial management's review of that statement, and the placement of the approved statement into the state budgeting, accounting, and reporting system.

(24) "Statement of proposed expenditures" means a plan prepared by each agency that breaks each appropriation out into monthly detail representing the best estimate of how the appropriation will be expended.

Sec. 3. Section 43.88.030, chapter 8, Laws of 1965 as last amended by section 7, chapter 138, Laws of 1984 and RCW 43.88.030 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The director of financial management shall provide all agencies with a complete set of instructions for submitting biennial budget requests to the director at least three months before agency budget documents are due into the office of financial management. The budget document or documents shall consist of the governor's budget message which shall be explanatory of the budget and shall contain an outline of the proposed financial policies of the state for the ensuing fiscal period and shall describe in connection therewith the important features of the budget. The message shall set forth the reasons for salient changes from the previous fiscal period in expenditure and revenue items and shall explain any major changes in financial policy. Attached to the budget message shall be such supporting schedules, exhibits and other explanatory material in respect to both current operations and capital improvements as the governor shall deem to be useful to the legislature. The budget document or documents shall set forth a proposal for expenditures in the ensuing fiscal period based upon estimated revenues for such fiscal period from the source and at the rates existing by law at the time of submission of the budget document: PROVIDED, That the governor may additionally submit, as an appendix to each agency budget or to the budget document or documents, a proposal for expenditures in the ensuing fiscal period from revenue sources derived from proposed changes in existing statutes.

The budget document or documents shall also contain:

(a) Revenues classified by fund and source for the immediately past fiscal period, those received or anticipated for the current fiscal period, and those anticipated for the ensuing biennium;

(b) Cash surplus or deficit, by fund, to the extent provided by RCW 43.88.040 and 43.88.050;

(c) Such additional information dealing with expenditures, revenues, workload, performance and personnel as the legislature may direct by law or concurrent resolution;

(d) Such additional information dealing with revenues and expenditures as the governor shall deem pertinent and useful to the legislature;

(e) Tabulations showing expenditures classified by fund, function, activity and object; and

(f) A delineation of each agency's activities, including those activities funded from nonbudgeted, nonappropriated sources, including funds maintained outside the state treasury.

(2) The budget document or documents shall include detailed estimates of all anticipated revenues applicable to proposed operating or capital expenditures and shall also include all proposed operating or capital expenditures. The total of anticipated revenues shall equal or exceed the total of proposed applicable expenditures. The budget document or documents shall further include:

(a) Interest, amortization and redemption charges on the state debt;

(b) Payments of all reliefs, judgments and claims;

(d) Expenditures incident to the operation for each agency;

(e) Revenues derived from agency operations;

(f) Expenditures and revenues shall be given in comparative form showing those incurred or received for the immediately past fiscal period and those anticipated for the current biennium and next ensuing biennium.

(3) A separate budget document or schedule may be submitted consisting of:

(a) Expenditures incident to current or pending capital projects and to proposed new capital projects, relating the respective amounts proposed to be raised therefor by appropriations in the budget and the respective amounts proposed to be raised therefor by the issuance of bonds during the fiscal period;

(b) A capital program consisting of proposed capital projects for at least the two fiscal periods succeeding the next fiscal period. The capital program shall include for each proposed project a statement of the reason or purpose for the project along with an estimate of its cost;

(d) Such other information relating to capital improvement projects as the legislature may direct by law or concurrent resolution.

(4) No change affecting the comparability of agency or program information relating to expenditures, revenues, workload, performance and personnel shall be made in the format of any budget document or report presented to the legislature under this section or RCW 43.88.160(1) relative to the format of the budget document or report which was presented to the previous regular session of the legislature during an odd-numbered year without prior legislative concurrence. Prior legislative concurrence shall consist of (a) a favorable majority vote on the proposal by the standing committees on ways and means of both houses if the legislature is in session or (b) a favorable majority vote on the proposal by members of the legislative evaluation and accountability program committee if the legislature is not in session.

Sec. 4. Section 43.88.110, chapter 8, Laws of 1965 as last amended by section 8, chapter 138, Laws of 1984 and RCW 43.88.110 are each amended to read as follows:

This section sets forth the expenditure programs and the allotment and reserve procedures to be followed by the executive branch for public funds. Allotments of an appropriation for any fiscal period shall conform to the terms, limits, or conditions of the appropriation.

(1) ((~~Before~~)) The director of financial management shall provide all agencies with a complete set of instructions for preparing a statement of proposed expenditures at least thirty days before the beginning of a fiscal period. The set of instructions need not include specific appropriation amounts for the agency.

(2) Within forty-five days after the beginning of the fiscal period or within forty-five days after the governor signs the omnibus biennial appropriations act, whichever is later, all agencies shall submit to the governor a statement of proposed ((~~agency~~)) expenditures at such times and in such form as may be required by the governor. ((The statement of proposed expenditures shall show, among other things, the requested allotments of public funds for the ensuing fiscal period for the agency concerned on a monthly basis for the entire fiscal period. The governor shall review the requested allotments in the light of the agency's plan of work and, with the advice of the director of financial management, the governor may revise or alter agency allotments: PROVIDED, That revision of allotments shall not be made for agencies headed by elective officials pursuant to this subsection. The aggregate of the allotments for an appropriation shall not exceed the total appropriation.

(2) Except for the legislative and judicial branches of government, approved allotments may be revised during the course of the fiscal period in accordance with the regulations issued pursuant to this chapter.)) If at any time during the fiscal period the governor shall ascertain that estimated revenues for the applicable period will be less than the respective appropriations, the governor shall ((~~revise the~~)) make across-the-board reductions in allotments ((~~concerned~~)) so as to prevent the making of expenditures in excess of estimated revenues. ((To the same end, the governor is authorized to withhold and to assign to, and to remove from, a reserve status any portion of an agency appropriation which in the governor's discretion is not needed for the allotment.

~~No expenditures shall be made from any portion of an appropriation which has been assigned to a reserve status except as provided in this section.~~)) Except for the legislative and judicial branches and other agencies headed by elective officials, the governor shall review the statement of proposed expenditures for reasonableness and conformance with legislative intent. Once the governor approves the statements of proposed expenditures, further revisions shall be made only at the beginning of the second fiscal year and must be initiated by the governor. However, changes in appropriation level authorized by the legislature, changes required by across-the-board reductions mandated by the governor, and changes caused by executive increases to spending authority may require additional revisions. Revisions shall not be made retroactively. Revisions caused by executive increases to spending authority shall not be made after June 30, 1987. However, the governor may assign to a reserve status any portion of an agency appropriation withheld as part of across-the-board reductions made by the governor and any portion of an agency appropriation conditioned on a contingent event by the appropriations act. The director of financial management shall enter approved statements of proposed expenditures into the state budgeting, accounting, and reporting system within forty-five days after receipt of the proposed statements from the agencies. If an agency or the director of financial management is unable to meet these requirements, the director of financial management shall provide a timely explanation in writing to the legislative fiscal committees.

(3) It is expressly provided that all agencies shall be required to maintain accounting records and to report thereon in the manner prescribed in this chapter and under the regulations issued pursuant to this chapter. Within ninety days of the end of the fiscal year, all agencies shall submit to the director of financial management their final adjustments to close their books for the fiscal year. Prior to submitting fiscal data, written or oral, to committees of the legislature, it is the responsibility of the agency submitting the data to reconcile it with the budget and accounting data reported by the agency to the director of financial management. The director of financial management shall monitor agency expenditures ((~~to prevent spending patterns which inflate agency expenditures during the second year of a biennium~~)) against the approved statement of proposed expenditures and shall provide the legislature with quarterly explanations of major variances.

(4) The director of financial management may exempt certain public funds from the allotment controls established under this chapter if it is not practical or necessary to allot the funds. Allotment control exemptions expire at the end of the fiscal biennium for which they are granted. The director of financial management shall report any exemptions granted under this subsection to the legislative fiscal committees.

Sec. 5. Section 11, chapter 10, Laws of 1982 and RCW 43.88.160 are each amended to read as follows:

This section sets forth the major fiscal duties and responsibilities of officers and agencies of the executive branch. The regulations issued by the governor pursuant to this chapter shall provide for a comprehensive, orderly basis for fiscal management and control, including efficient accounting and reporting therefor, for the executive branch of the state government and may include, in addition, such requirements as will generally promote more efficient public management in the state.

(1) Governor; director of financial management. The governor, through the director of financial management, shall devise and supervise a modern and complete accounting system for each agency to the end that all revenues, expenditures, receipts, disbursements, resources and obligations of the state shall be properly and systematically accounted for. The accounting system shall include the development of accurate, timely records and reports of all financial affairs of the state. The system shall also provide for ((~~comprehensive~~)) central accounts in the office of financial management at the level of detail deemed necessary by the director to perform central financial management. The director of financial management shall adopt and periodically update an accounting procedures manual. Any agency maintaining its own accounting and reporting system shall comply with the updated accounting procedures manual and the rules of the director adopted under this chapter. An agency may receive a waiver from complying with this requirement if the waiver is approved by the director. Waivers expire at the end of the fiscal biennium for which they are granted. The director shall forward notice of waivers granted to the legislative fiscal committees. The director of financial management may require such financial, statistical, and other reports as the director deems necessary from all agencies covering any period. ((This shall include the timely reporting of primary budget drivers such as actual workloads, caseloads, and unit cost data for applicable areas. The director of financial management shall review the data for accuracy and consistency. The director shall submit the data to the legislative evaluation and accountability program committee. The legislative evaluation and accountability program committee shall provide reports on the data at least quarterly to the legislative fiscal committees and the office of financial management.))

The director of financial management is responsible for quarterly reporting of primary budget drivers such as applicable workloads, caseload estimates, and appropriate unit cost data. These reports shall be ((~~updated concurrently with the quarterly revenue and economic forecast and~~)) transmitted to the legislative fiscal committees. Quarterly reports shall include actual monthly data and the variance between actual and estimated data to date. The reports shall also include estimates of these items for the remainder of the budget period.

In addition, the director of financial management, as agent of the governor, shall:

(a) Make surveys and analyses of agencies with the object of determining better methods and increased effectiveness in the use of manpower and materials; and the director shall authorize expenditures for employee training to the end that the state may benefit from training facilities made available to state employees;

(b) Report to the governor with regard to duplication of effort or lack of coordination among agencies;

(c) Review any pay and classification plans, and changes thereunder, developed by any agency for their fiscal impact: PROVIDED, That none of the provisions of this subsection shall affect merit systems of personnel management now existing or hereafter established by statute relating to the fixing of qualifications requirements for recruitment, appointment, or promotion of employees of any agency. The director shall advise and confer with agencies including appropriate standing committees of the legislature as may be designated by the speaker of the house and the president of the senate regarding the fiscal impact of such plans and may amend or alter said plans, except that for the following agencies no amendment or alteration of said plans may be made without the approval of the agency concerned: Agencies headed by elective officials;

(d) Fix the number and classes of positions or authorized man years of employment for each agency and during the fiscal period amend the determinations previously fixed by the director except that the director shall not be empowered to fix said number or said classes for the following: Agencies headed by elective officials;

(e) Provide for transfers and repayments between the budget stabilization account and the general fund as directed by appropriation and RCW 43.88.525 through 43.88.540;

(f) Promulgate regulations to effectuate provisions contained in subsections (a) through (e) hereof.

(2) The treasurer shall:

(a) Receive, keep and disburse all public funds of the state not expressly required by law to be received, kept and disbursed by some other persons: PROVIDED, That this subsection shall not apply to those public funds of the institutions of higher learning which are not subject to appropriation;

(b) Disburse public funds under the treasurer's supervision or custody by warrant or check;

(c) Keep a correct and current account of all moneys received and disbursed by the treasurer, classified by fund or account;

(d) Perform such other duties as may be required by law or by regulations issued pursuant to this law.

It shall be unlawful for the treasurer to issue any warrant or check for public funds in the treasury except upon forms duly prescribed by the director of financial management. Said forms shall provide for authentication and certification by the agency head or his designee that the services have been rendered or the materials have been furnished; or, in the case of payments for periodic maintenance services to be performed on state owned equipment, that a written contract for such periodic maintenance services is currently in effect and copies thereof are on file with the office of financial management; and the treasurer shall not be liable under the treasurer's surety bond for erroneous or improper payments so made: PROVIDED, That when services are lawfully paid for in advance of full performance by any private individual or business entity other than as provided for by RCW 42.24.035, such individual or entity other than central stores rendering such services shall make a cash deposit or furnish surety bond coverage to the state as shall be fixed in an amount by law, or if not fixed by law, then in such amounts as shall be fixed by the director of the department of general administration but in no case shall such required cash deposit or surety bond be less than an amount which will fully indemnify the state against any and all losses on account of breach of promise to fully perform such services: AND PROVIDED FURTHER, That no payments shall be made in advance for any equipment maintenance services to be performed more than three months after such payment. Any such bond so furnished shall be conditioned that the person, firm or corporation receiving the advance payment will apply it toward performance of the contract. The responsibility for recovery of erroneous or improper payments made under this section shall lie with the agency head or the agency head's designee in accordance with regulations issued pursuant to this chapter.

(3) The state auditor shall:

(a) Report to the legislature the results of current post audits that have been made of the financial transactions of each agency; to this end he may, in the auditor's discretion, examine the books and accounts of any agency, official or employee charged with the receipt, custody or safekeeping of public funds. The current post audit of each agency may include a section on recommendations to the legislature as provided in subsection (3)(c) of this section.

(b) Give information to the legislature, whenever required, upon any subject relating to the financial affairs of the state.

(c) Make the auditor's official report on or before the thirty-first of December which precedes the meeting of the legislature. The report shall be for the last complete fiscal period and shall include at least the following:

Determinations as to whether agencies, in making expenditures, complied with the laws of this state: PROVIDED, That nothing in this act shall be construed to grant the state auditor the right to perform performance audits. A performance audit for the purpose of this act shall be the examination of the effectiveness of the administration, its efficiency and its adequacy in terms of the programs of departments or agencies as previously approved by the legislature. The authority and responsibility to conduct such an examination shall be vested in the legislative budget committee as prescribed in RCW 44.28.085 as now or hereafter amended.

(d) Be empowered to take exception to specific expenditures that have been incurred by any agency or to take exception to other practices related in any way to the agency's financial transactions and to cause such exceptions to be made a matter of public record, including disclosure to the agency concerned and to the director of financial management. It shall be the duty of the director of financial management to cause corrective action to be taken promptly, such action to include, as appropriate, the withholding of funds as provided in RCW 43.88.110.

(e) Promptly report any irregularities to the attorney general.

(4) The legislative budget committee may:

(a) Make post audits of the financial transactions of any agency and management surveys and program reviews as provided for in RCW 44.28.085 as now or hereafter amended. To this end the committee may in its discretion examine the books, accounts, and other records of any agency, official, or employee.

(b) Give information to the legislature or any legislative committee whenever required upon any subject relating to the performance and management of state agencies.

(i) Determinations as to the extent to which agencies in making expenditures have complied with the will of the legislature and in this connection, may take exception to specific expenditures or financial practices of any agencies; and

(ii) Such plans as it deems expedient for the support of the state's credit, for lessening expenditures, for promoting frugality and economy in agency affairs and generally for an improved level of fiscal management.

Sec. 6. Section 43.88.210, chapter 8, Laws of 1965 and RCW 43.88.210 are each amended to read as follows:

It is the intent of this chapter to assign to the governor's office authority for developing and maintaining a state budgeting, accounting, and reporting ((~~and other~~)) system((s)) necessary for effective expenditure and revenue control among agencies.

To this end:

(1) All powers and duties and functions of the state auditor relating to the disbursement of public funds by warrant or check are hereby transferred to the state treasurer as the governor may direct but no later than ninety days after the start of the next fiscal biennium, and the state auditor shall deliver to the state treasurer all books, records, accounts, equipment, or other property relating to such function. In all cases where any question shall arise as to the proper custody of any such books, records, accounts, equipment or property, or pending business, the governor shall determine the question;

(2) In all cases where reports, notices, certifications, vouchers, disbursements and similar statements are now required to be given to any agency the duties and responsibilities of which are being assigned or reassigned by this chapter, the same shall be given to the agency or agencies in the manner provided for in this chapter.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. The following acts or parts of acts are each repealed:

(1) Section 6, chapter 270, Laws of 1981 and RCW 43.88.111; and

(2) Section 7, chapter 270, Laws of 1981, section 2, chapter 15, Laws of 1982 2nd ex. sess., section 9, chapter 138, Laws of 1984 and RCW 43.88.112.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. The amendments to chapter 43.88 RCW by this act are intended to improve the reporting of state budgeting, accounting, and other fiscal data. The legislative evaluation and accountability program committee shall periodically review chapter 43.88 RCW and shall recommend further revisions if needed.