SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2004 SESSION


HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 13
Requesting that the Governor provide the House of Delegates with budget information.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 1, 2004

WHEREAS, the Constitution of Virginia reposes in the General Assembly the ultimate responsibility for appropriating all funds collected by the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the citizens and taxpayers of the Commonwealth expect the members of the General Assembly to exercise the appropriation power responsibly and to assure that the expenditure of public funds is as cost effective as possible; and

WHEREAS, the General Assembly cannot discharge its responsibility to manage the Commonwealth’s finances in the best interest of the citizens and taxpayers of Virginia without having timely access to pertinent information for the purpose of making wise decisions in appropriating public funds; and

WHEREAS, the General Assembly is dependent upon the Governor and other officers of the executive branch for information about the operation of agencies of the executive branch and about opportunities to make those operations more efficient and effective; and

WHEREAS, further information that is essential to the exercise of the General Assembly’s appropriation responsibility at its 2004 regular session must be obtained from the Governor with all practicable speed; and

WHEREAS, without receipt of all necessary information from the executive branch, the General Assembly cannot responsibly conclude its deliberations over the appropriation act for the biennium beginning on July 1, 2004; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Governor be requested to provide the House of Delegates with budget information as follows:

(i) A listing of each department, agency, board, commission or other unit of state government that has been eliminated during the current biennium or that the Governor proposes be eliminated in the biennium beginning on July 1, 2004, together with any spending reduction or cost avoidance associated with each agency elimination; and

(ii) A listing of the amount of spending by each agency that was authorized by the General Assembly for the current biennium at the 2002 regular session of the General Assembly; and

(iii) A listing of any amendment of such authorization by the General Assembly at its 2003 regular session; and

(iv) A listing of the actual spending by each agency projected through June 30, 2004; and

(v) A listing of all positions that have been eliminated during the current biennium; and

(vi) A listing of all positions that have been eliminated during the current biennium which were unfilled at the time they were designated for elimination; and

(vii) A detailed description of each action taken to implement the recommendations of the Commission on Efficiency and Effectiveness, including specification of the Item of any appropriation act, amendment to an appropriation act, or Governor’s budget bill that incorporates or reflects a spending reduction or cost avoidance and specification of the dollar amount or dollar estimate of such spending reduction or cost avoidance; and

(viii) All executive branch studies, recommendations, analyses and reports concerning opportunities to reduce spending or avoid costs in procurement, inventory management, information technology, real estate operations and/or collection of receivables; and

(ix) All information regarding contacts between the executive branch and providers of services, including consulting services, in the areas of procurement, inventory management, information technology, real estate operations and collection of receivables; and

(x) All information in the possession of the executive branch regarding studies, recommendation, analyses and reports generated since 1996 concerning opportunities to achieve greater efficiency and/or effectiveness in the maintenance of the state highway system; and

(xi) All information in the possession of the executive branch regarding studies, recommendations, analyses and reports generated since 1996 concerning opportunities to achieve greater efficiency and/or effectiveness or to realize additional revenues through the collection of fees, rent or other user charges in the operation of the state correctional programs.