Provides for creation of a non-partisan legislative budget office to perform budget analysis to determine the funding levels necessary to the operation of governmental departments and programs and render anticipated revenue estimates for each fiscal year, examine and review all financial information of the state for the purpose of rendering revenue estimates used in determining whether the proposed state budget is balanced, be charged with the duty of rendering anticipated revenue forecast reports to the legislature and the governor for the purposes of facilitating passage of the state budget in a timely manner, provide assistance in determining the fiscal impact of proposed legislation, and submit to the state legislature written estimates of anticipated state revenues on January 15, April 15, July 15 and October 15 of each year.

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S2256-2013 Actions

• Jan 15, 2013: REFERRED TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

S2256-2013 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S2256

TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the legislative law, in relation to
creation of the legislative budget office

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: Allows for a non-partisan budget
office to be established. This office would be similar to that of the
U.S. Congressional Budget Office that would perform budget analysis
for both Houses of the State Legislature.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Adds a new Legislative Law Article 5-C to create the
Legislative Budget Office.

JUSTIFICATION: One of the reasons that has been cited for the repeated
delays in meeting state budget deadlines is that the Assembly, the
Senate, and the Governor each have their own fiscal staffs which, more
often than not, disagree on state revenue estimates for the upcoming
fiscal year. In recent years, these disagreements in state budget
revenue estimates have stalled budget negotiations because money
cannot be accurately allocated to different state agencies and among
state programs when there is no agreed upon estimate of anticipated
revenue.

The establishment of a Legislative Budget office should help to
eliminate the partisan effect of the Senate and the Assembly fiscal
staffs and ensure that both houses are using the same set of numbers.
Because the office would be non-partisan, estimates developed would be
based on more accurately on economic reality. The use of the U.S.
Congressional Budget Office has helped to alleviate at least some of
the delays that have occurred in negotiating the Federal budget. It is
hoped that this bill could do the same for the State Budget.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:  A.3953 of 2001-2002 A.572 of 2003-2004
A.1003 of 2005-2006 A.2675 of 2007-200B S.6233 of 2009-2010 - Referred
to Investigations & Government Operations S. 611 of 2011-2012 -
Referred to Investigations & Government Operations

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:  Would not require additional funding because the
money currently being spent for budget analysis for Senate Finance and
Assembly Ways and Means committee could be used.

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1st next succeeding the date upon which it
shall become law.

S2256-2013 Text

                      S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
  ________________________________________________________________________

                                    2256

                         2013-2014 Regular Sessions

                              I N  SENATE

                              January 15, 2013
                                 ___________

  Introduced  by  Sen.  KLEIN  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
    printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern-
    ment Operations

  AN ACT to amend the legislative law, in  relation  to  creation  of  the
    legislative budget office

    THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
  BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


    Section 1. The legislative law is amended by adding a new article  5-C
  to read as follows:

                                 ARTICLE 5-C
                          LEGISLATIVE BUDGET OFFICE
  SECTION 88-K. NON-PARTISAN LEGISLATIVE BUDGET OFFICE.
          88-L. POWERS  AND  DUTIES OF THE NON-PARTISAN LEGISLATIVE BUDGET
                  OFFICE.
    S 88-K. NON-PARTISAN LEGISLATIVE BUDGET OFFICE. THERE IS HEREBY ESTAB-
  LISHED A NON-PARTISAN LEGISLATIVE BUDGET OFFICE.
    S 88-L. POWERS AND  DUTIES  OF  THE  NON-PARTISAN  LEGISLATIVE  BUDGET
  OFFICE.    1.  THE  NON-PARTISAN LEGISLATIVE BUDGET OFFICE SHALL PERFORM
  BUDGET ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE THE FUNDING LEVELS NECESSARY TO THE  OPERA-
  TION  OF  GOVERNMENTAL  DEPARTMENTS  AND PROGRAMS AND RENDER ANTICIPATED
  REVENUE ESTIMATES FOR EACH FISCAL YEAR. SUCH REVENUE ESTIMATES SHALL  BE
  USED EXCLUSIVELY FOR PURPOSES OF DETERMINING BUDGET EXPENDITURES.
    2.  THE  DIRECTOR  OF THE NON-PARTISAN LEGISLATIVE BUDGET OFFICE SHALL
  EXAMINE AND REVIEW ALL  FINANCIAL  INFORMATION  OF  THE  STATE  FOR  THE
  PURPOSE  OF  RENDERING REVENUE ESTIMATES USED IN DETERMINING WHETHER THE
  PROPOSED STATE BUDGET IS BALANCED.
    3. THE NON-PARTISAN LEGISLATIVE BUDGET OFFICE SHALL  BE  HEADED  BY  A
  DIRECTOR  WHO SHALL BE APPOINTED BY A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND
  ASSEMBLY FOR A TERM OF FIVE YEARS. HE OR SHE SHALL  DEVOTE  HIS  OR  HER
  FULL  TIME AND EFFORT TO THE OFFICE OF DIRECTOR AND HE OR SHE SHALL HOLD
  NO OTHER PUBLIC OFFICE. THE DIRECTOR SHALL RECEIVE SUCH COMPENSATION  AS

   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD06599-01-3

 S. 2256                             2

  MAY  BE  FIXED  BY THE OFFICE. THE DIRECTOR MAY APPOINT BUDGET ANALYSTS,
  ASSISTANTS AND SUCH OTHER EMPLOYEES AS HE OR SHE MAY DEEM  NECESSARY  OR
  DESIRABLE,  PRESCRIBE THEIR DUTIES AND FIX THEIR COMPENSATION WITHIN THE
  AMOUNTS APPROPRIATED AND MADE AVAILABLE THEREFOR.
    4.  THE  NON-PARTISAN  LEGISLATIVE BUDGET OFFICE SHALL BE CHARGED WITH
  THE DUTY OF RENDERING ANTICIPATED REVENUE FORECAST REPORTS TO THE LEGIS-
  LATURE AND THE GOVERNOR FOR THE PURPOSES OF FACILITATING PASSAGE OF  THE
  STATE  BUDGET  IN  A  TIMELY  MANNER. THE DIRECTOR MAY REQUEST AND SHALL
  RECEIVE FROM ALL PUBLIC OFFICERS, DEPARTMENTS, AGENCIES AND  AUTHORITIES
  OF THE STATE AND ITS POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS, SUCH ASSISTANCE AND DATA AS
  SHALL  BE  NECESSARY TO PROJECT ANTICIPATED STATE REVENUES FOR BUDGETARY
  PURPOSES.
    5. THE NON-PARTISAN LEGISLATIVE BUDGET OFFICE SHALL PROVIDE ASSISTANCE
  IN DETERMINING THE FISCAL IMPACT OF PROPOSED LEGISLATION.
    6. THE NON-PARTISAN LEGISLATIVE BUDGET  OFFICE  SHALL  SUBMIT  TO  THE
  LEGISLATURE  WRITTEN  ESTIMATES OF ANTICIPATED STATE REVENUES ON JANUARY
  FIFTEENTH, APRIL FIFTEENTH, JULY FIFTEENTH AND OCTOBER FIFTEENTH OF EACH
  YEAR.
    S 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next  succeed-
  ing the date on which it shall have become a law.