Requires no budget bill shall be passed unless it shall have been upon the desks of the members for at least ten days

Title of bill

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY proposing an amendment to sections 9 and 14 of article 3 of the constitution, in relation to the powers of each house and the manner of passing budget bills by the legislature

Purpose

Requires budget bills to age 10 days on members' desks before they may pass the house.

Summary of provisions

Adds a new paragraph to section 14 of article 3 of the Constitution.

Existing law

Currently there is a three day aging period unless accompanied by a message of necessity by the governor.

Justification

The current budget process is effectively closed to public participation as well as participation by rank and file elected officials. The crucial time when bills are drafted before they are voted on sometimes lasts only a few hours. Printing bills and passing them on the same day is contrary to the intent of our constitutional framers. Our current system of government was not designed to be nimble and efficient, but rather it was designed to be cumbersome and tedious in its deliberations.

By providing for a ten day period whereby legislation can be scrutinized, legislators and the general public are given a chance to understand the full implications of the budget prior to its final adoption. There is strong need to shed light on the secretive budget process, currently hammered out by "three men in a room", who currently ensure that they are the only ones who know the full details of what's in the budget.

Legislative history

2008; A8262 (Kavanagh) - Judiciary 2007; A8262 (Kavanagh) -Judiciary

Fiscal impact on the state

None.

Effective date

Upon passage of both houses during two respective terms and final approval of the people by referendum.