Sec. O-1. Commission established. The Commission to Reform the State Budget Process, referred to in this section as "the commission," is established.
1. Commission membership. The commission consists of 12 members appointed as follows:
A. The Commissioner of Administrative and Financial Services or a designee;
B. The State Budget Officer;
C. The State Controller;
D. The Director of the State Planning Office or a designee;
E. Two members of the Senate, appointed by the President of the Senate, one from the political party holding the majority of seats in the Senate and one from the political party holding the majority of the remainder of the seats in the Senate;
F. Two members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House, one from the political party holding the majority of seats in the House and one from the political party holding the majority of the remainder of the seats in the House;
G. The Director of the Office of Fiscal and Program Review; and
H. Three members of the public, appointed by the Governor.
2. Appointments; chairs; meetings. All appointments must be made no later than 30 days following the effective date of this Part. The Governor shall appoint a chair from among the membership of the commission, who shall call and convene the first meeting of the commission no later than 15 days after appointments of all members. The commission may hold a total of 6 meetings, one of which may be a public hearing.
3. Duties. The commission shall conduct its research and prepare recommendations on a number of budget-related matters, including but not limited to:
A. The establishment of a "zero-based" budget in which the initial funding amount for each program in State Government is assumed to be zero and all proposed expenditures for the program are justified in the budget;
B. Modifying the "current services" format used by departments and agencies by including a percent reduction from the previous year's appropriation or allocation and requiring additional expenditures for the program be justified in the budget; and
C. Proposing adjustments to the current "performance-based" budgeting in which funding is tied to measures that indicate how well a program is meeting the goals established.
4. Staff assistance. The Bureau of the Budget shall provide staffing assistance.
5. Report. The commission shall submit a report that includes its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs during the Second Regular Session of the 122nd Legislature no later than January 3, 2006. The commission is authorized to introduce legislation related to its report to the Second Regular Session of the 122nd Legislature at the time of submission of its report.
| Revisor of Statutes Homepage | Subject Index | Search | 122nd Laws of Maine | Maine Legislature |
About the 1st Regular & 1st Special Session Laws Of Maine
