ACR 45, as introduced, Grove. State agency budgets: legislative review: zero-based budgeting.
This measure would state the intent of the Legislature to conduct an in-depth review of the budgets of the 40 largest budgets of state agencies and departments over a period 5 years using a zero-based budgeting approach, as specified. The measure would also request that the the first 8 state agencies and departments selected for review provide specified information to the Assembly Committee on Budget and the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review before June 30, 2016.
Fiscal committee: yes.
P1 1WHEREAS, Article IV of the California Constitution provides
2that it is the responsibility of the Legislature to oversee the
3operations of the executive branch and its various agencies and
4departments; and
5WHEREAS, Article IV further provides that it is the
6responsibility of the Legislature to develop a budget for the State
7of California; and
8WHEREAS, A zero-based budgeting approach is one in which
9agency and department budgets are evaluated on program-level
10efficiencies, instead of only marginal changes; and
P2 1WHEREAS, In recent years, the National Conference of State
2Legislatures has reported that 17 states have used zero-based
3budgeting in some form and several more have made serious efforts
4to do so; and
5WHEREAS, The National Conference of State Legislatures
6indicates that states such as Idaho have successfully used
7zero-based budgeting as a management tool as well as a budgetary
8tool; and
9WHEREAS, The State of Washington, among others,
10successfully used a variant of zero-based budgeting starting in
112002 to align expenditures with desired outcomes and balanced
12the budget of the State of Washington without tax increases; and
13WHEREAS, The elected representatives of the Legislature have
14a duty to guard taxpayer dollars against waste, fraud, and abuse;
15and
16WHEREAS, The largest 40 state agency and department budgets
17account for more than one-half of the total budget for the State of
18California; and
19WHEREAS, The largest 40 state agency and department budgets
20include all entities expending more than $100 million in state
21funds; now, therefore, be it
22Resolved by The Assembly of The State of California, The Senate
23thereof concurring, That the Legislature intends to conduct an
24in-depth review, over a period of 5 years, of the 40 largest budgets
25of state agencies and departments with state positions; and be it
26further
27Resolved, That the Legislature intends to use a zero-based
28budgeting approach during this review; and be it further
29Resolved, That the 40 largest budgets of state agencies and
30departments with state positions will be identified by the
31Legislature on or before June 30, 2015, based on amounts allocated
32to these agencies in the 2014-15 budget; and be it further
33Resolved, That the Legislature will choose the first eight
34agencies and departments for review before the 2015 Interim Study
35Recess; and be it further
36Resolved, That those eight agencies and departments are
37requested, before June 30, 2016, to provide to the Assembly
38Committee on Budget and the Senate Committee on Budget and
39Fiscal Review a complete list of logical “decision units” within
40an agency’s budget, which are programs, activities, or
P3 1organizational entities. For each of these units, the agencies and
2departments are requested to provide all of the following:
3(a) A proposed minimum level of funding for viability for the
42017-18 fiscal year.
5(b) Current expenditures.
6(c) Program goals that can be quantified, including any goals
7that are required by citations of existing law.
8(d) Progress toward those goals; and be it further
9Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
10of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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