What's happening
This bill requires that budget bills from the governor clearly identify and reference corresponding appropriations, increasing transparency and itemization.
Why it matters
Strengthens legislative oversight. by requiring that each piece of proposed legislation in the governor’s budget submission is directly tied to a specific appropriation, making it harder to pass vague or “blank check” funding proposals.
Reduces risk of hidden or “bundled” spending. by mandating clear cross-references between legislation and funding lines, helping legislators, watchdogs, and the public trace where money is actually being allocated.
Limits legislative action on insufficiently detailed budget bills. , as the legislature cannot vote on proposals that lack precise itemization—potentially preventing rushed or poorly scrutinized fiscal decisions.
Excludes tax law changes from these requirements. , focusing transparency and itemization rules specifically on appropriations and spending, not on revenue or tax policy changes.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Require Detailed Budget Items
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to investigations and government operations
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Require Detailed Budget Items
In Assembly Committee · Ways And Means · Sponsor William A. Barclay
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7563
IN SENATE
January 27, 2020
Introduced by Sen. JORDAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Government Operations
AN ACT to amend the legislative law and the state finance law, in relation to sufficiency of itemization in budget bills
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The legislative law is amended by adding a new section 53-a to read as follows:
§ 53-a. Budget item identification and limitation. All budget bills submitted by the governor pursuant to section three of article seven of the constitution, containing proposed legislation, shall clearly identify a corresponding appropriation within the budget appropriation bills submitted by the governor for that fiscal year. The legislature shall not act upon budget bills, pursuant to section three of article seven of the constitution submitted by the governor, unless such bills have been sufficiently itemized by setting forth, with particularity, the section of the corresponding appropriation. Provided, however, this section shall not apply to proposed legislation that amends the tax law.
§ 2. The opening paragraph of subdivision 1 of section 24 of the state finance law, as amended by chapter 1 of the laws of 2007, is amended to read as follows:
The budget submitted annually by the governor shall be simultaneously accompanied by a bill or bills for all proposed appropriations and reappropriations and for the proposed measures of taxation or other legislation, if any, recommended therein. Such bills shall be submitted by the governor and shall be known as budget bills. Such budget bills shall clearly reference the section in the accompanying bill or bills where the corresponding appropriation or reappropriation can be located.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09391-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the legislative law and the state finance law, in relation to sufficiency of itemization in budget bills
Purpose or general idea of bill
To set parameters for the content of budget bills, ensuring that budget negotiations are focused on financial, not policy issues
Summary of provisions
Section 1. The legislative law is amended by adding a new section 53-a which would require budget bills be sufficiently itemized by setting forth, with particularity, the section of the corresponding appropri- ation
Section 2. The opening paragraph of subdivision 1 of section 24 of the state finance law, as amended by chapter 1 of the laws of 2007, is amended to require budget bills clearly reference the section in the accompanying bill or bills where the corresponding appropriation or re-appropriation can be located
Justification
Negotiating the $175 Billion state budget is an extremely complex proc- ess. The Governor and both houses of the Legislature must come together to determine how much money there is to spend, allocating funding increases or cuts to a broad range of programs based on different prior- ities, and making difficult decisions relating to taxes, debt and borrowing.
Further complicating the budget process are the various policy initi- atives that are included in the budget, despite having little direct fiscal impact in the current year.
In recent years, the major areas of budget debate were not financial- they were significant policy changes that would have been more suited for debate as separate bills. The goal of this legislation is to exclude major policy debate from the budget.
Prior legislative history
New in Senate; A9550 of 2018 (Oaks)-Held for consideration in Ways & Means
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
To be determined.
Effective date
Immediately
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.