Z-0731

AN ACT Relating to the content of budget documents; amending RCW 43.88.030; and adding a new section to chapter 43.88 RCW.

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

Sec. 1. RCW 43.88.030 and 1990 c 115 s 1 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 the estimated revenues as approved by the economic and revenue forecast council for such fiscal period from the source and at the rates existing by law at the time of submission of the budget document. However, the estimated revenues for use in the governor's budget document may be adjusted to reflect budgetary revenue transfers and revenue estimates dependent upon budgetary assumptions of enrollments, workloads, and caseloads. All adjustments to the approved estimated revenues must be set forth in the budget document. 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) The undesignated fund balance or deficit, by fund;

(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;

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

(g) Identification of all proposed direct expenditures to implement the Puget Sound water quality plan under chapter 90.70 RCW, shown by agency and in total.

(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 beginning undesignated fund balance and estimated revenues less working capital and other reserves 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;

(g) A showing and explanation of amounts of general fund obligations for debt service and any transfers of moneys that otherwise would have been available for general fund appropriations;

(h) Common school expenditures on a fiscal‑year basis;

(i) A showing, by agency, of the value and purpose of financing contracts for the lease/purchase or acquisition of personal or real property for the current and ensuing fiscal periods.

(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~~)) one fiscal period((s)) 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;

(c) A capital plan consisting of proposed capital spending for at least four fiscal periods succeeding the next fiscal period;

(d) Such other information bearing upon capital projects as the governor shall deem to be useful to the legislature;

((~~(d)~~)) (e) 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.

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

A capital appropriation bill shall include the estimated general fund debt service costs associated with new capital appropriations contained in that bill for the biennia in which the appropriations occur and for the succeeding two biennia.