Establishing continuing appropriations in fiscal years for which the general assembly does not pass an annual budget

This bill establishes continuing appropriations in fiscal years for which the general assembly does not pass an annual budget. The bill applies to fiscal years for which the general assembly has not passed and presented to the governor, on or before July 1 of the fiscal year, any bills appropriating moneys for the fiscal year, with certain exclusions. The bill ceases to apply for a fiscal year if, on or after July 1 of the fiscal year, the general assembly passes and presents to the governor one or more bills appropriating moneys for the fiscal year. For fiscal years to which the bill applies, the bill requires the department of management (DOM), in consultation with the legislative services agency (LSA), to identify the amounts of all line item appropriations, standing limited appropriations, and standing unlimited appropriations otherwise limited by law for the immediately preceding fiscal year, and the entities to which those appropriations were made. The bill appropriates those amounts to those entities for the fiscal year to which the bill applies. The bill supplants duplicative standing appropriations, meaning the amounts for line item appropriations, standing limited appropriations, and standing unlimited appropriations otherwise limited by law identified for the immediately preceding fiscal year apply in lieu of amounts estimated for associated standing appropriations for the fiscal year to which the bill applies. The bill applies powers, duties, limitations, requirements, allocations, nonreversions, and full-time equivalent position authorizations associated with such appropriations from the immediately preceding fiscal year for the fiscal year to which the bill applies. The bill excludes one-time appropriations from the immediately preceding fiscal year, as determined by DOM in consultation with LSA. One-time appropriations may include but are not limited to appropriations for an infrastructure project, technology project, or temporary project or program for which a subsequent fiscal year appropriation is not appropriate. The bill does not reapply uncodified transfers from the immediately preceding fiscal year. Codified transfers are not affected by the bill and would operate in accordance with the Code during the fiscal year to which the bill applies. The bill authorizes DOM, in consultation with LSA, to reduce all appropriations from the general fund of the state under the bill for a fiscal year by the same percentage if necessary to comply with state general fund expenditure limitation. The general assembly passed similar provisions in June 2020 applicable only to FY 2020-2021.