Report of the Fiscal Committees

on the

Executive Budget

Fiscal Year

April 1, 2000 to March 31, 2001

State of New York

New York State Legislature

SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE
RONALD B. STAFFORD
Chairman

Dear Governor Pataki:

In accordance with the established intent of Article 7, Section 7, of the Constitution of the State of New York, we submit for your consideration The Report of the Fiscal Committees on the Executive Budget for the fiscal year 2000-01.

Set forth in this document are the general and specific findings of the Senate Finance Committee and the Assembly Ways and Means Committee concerning the estimates of proposed financial plans for the overall purposes of the State government which are contained in your Executive Budget for the 2000-01 fiscal year. These proposed disbursements are consistent with estimates of receipts for the 2000-01 State fiscal year. These legislative findings are being submitted to assist you in the administration of the State government.

Respectfully submitted,

Ronald B. Stafford
Chairman
Senate Finance Committee

Herman D. Farrell, Jr.
Chairman
Assembly Ways and Means Committee

Dear Comptroller McCall:

The Report of the Fiscal Committees on the Executive Budget for the fiscal year 2000-01 has been submitted to the Honorable George E. Pataki, Governor of the State of New York.

This report contains the general and specific findings of the Senate Finance Committee and the Assembly Ways and Means Committee relating to proposed disbursements for the overall purposes of the State government during the 2000-01 fiscal year. These proposed disbursements are consistent with estimates of receipts for the 2000-01 fiscal year. It is legislative intent that these budgetary findings be received as guidelines for administrative application in the new fiscal year.

Respectfully submitted,

Ronald B. Stafford
Chairman
Senate Finance Committee

Herman D. Farrell, Jr.
Chairman
Assembly Ways and Means Committee

On January 30, 1995, the New York State Legislature adopted a concurrent resolution creating a joint conference committee process to resolve differences between similar legislation passed by each house of the Legislature. That resolution helped pave the way for the Legislature to negotiate and pass the State Fiscal Year (SFY) 1998-99 State Budget in a public forum, thereby marking the first time such a process had been utilized in the budget context in New York. The public nature of budget negotiations continued this year, with the SFY 2000-01 State Budget having been resolved by the joint conference committees.

This year, the legislative consideration of the Executive budget proposal began on January 11, with the Governor’s submission to the Legislature of his proposed SFY 2000-01 Budget. He offered his amendments to the original budget submission on January 31st. The first budget related legislation adopted this year was in the form of a budget resolution expressing the positions of each house related to the SFY 2000-01 Budget. The Assemby and the Senate adopted their respective budget resolutions on March 15.

To resolve the differences between the two houses’ budget resolutions, a General Budget Conference Committee was convened on April 5, at which point an agreement regarding the amount of available resources for additional spending had been reached. The first meeting of the General Conference commenced with the execution of a joint certificate by Temporary President of the Senate Joseph L. Bruno and Speaker of the Assembly Sheldon Silver. This certificate identified the resolutions passed by both houses and the determination of the Senate and the Assembly to utilize the established joint conference committee process to resolve the differences between the two houses’ budget resolutions. The specific powers vested in the General Committee were the establishment of the spending targets by issue area within the $1.4 billion in available resources and the distribution of additional capital projects funding, as well as the final reconciliation of the State’s Financial Plan.

To effectuate a final budget agreement, the General Budget Conference Committee empowered nine subcommittees and assigned to each one a spending target from the $1.4 billion in available resources. Each of the subcommittees negotiated the elements for inclusion within the General Fund and targets, contemplated the re-programming of certain Federal and Special Revenue funds, and deliberated over the Article VII and language provisions necessary for the enactment of the final budget package. Each subcommittee met publicly four or five times beginning on April 5 and concluding on April 12.

Again this year, nearly 100 Members of the Legislature directly participated in the budget subcommittee process. All of the Members were able to give their fellow Legislators guidance and support. The subcommittee structure grouped the issues within related agencies to help expedite the process, and the subsequent discussions permitted public disclosure of the deliberations.

The final budget adopted by the Legislature on May 4-5 reflects the cooperative efforts of both houses to achieve a balanced product in a public setting.

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