Establishes process for submittal and publication of proposed revisions to Governor's budget recommendations and requires publication of proposals by June 1 annually.

S3855

SENATE, No. 3855

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 10, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� DECLAN J. O'SCANLON, JR.

District 13 (Monmouth)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes process for submittal and publication of
proposed revisions to Governor's budget recommendations and requires
publication of proposals by June 1 annually.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning the preparation of the annual appropriations
bill and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.� The chair of the Senate
Budget and Appropriations Committee and the chair of the Assembly Budget
Committee shall, during their respective committee deliberations on the subject
of the Governor�s budget recommendations transmitted to the Legislature for the
ensuing State fiscal year, pursuant to section 11 of P.L.1944, c.112
(C.52:27B-20), accept budget resolutions made by any member of the Senate or
General Assembly, and the State Treasurer, that propose to add, delete, or
otherwise change revenues, line-items or language provisions in the Governor�s
budget recommendations.� Budget resolutions shall be filed with either
committee, in a form and manner determined by the President of the Senate and
Speaker of the General Assembly, and shall be identified by the sponsor or
sponsors of the resolution.� All resolutions to be filed with either committee
shall be delivered to the Legislative Budget and Finance Officer in the Office
of Legislative Services.

���� The sponsor or sponsors of a
budget resolution shall set forth in detail therein each revenue, line-item, or
language provision proposed to be added, deleted, or changed and append thereto
a statement explaining the proposed changes and the reasons therefor.� The
sponsor or sponsors of a budget resolution shall append thereto a personal
disclosure statement indicating whether the sponsor or the sponsor�s spouse,
domestic partner or civil union partner, children, parents, or siblings, have
any employment relationship or business relationship with, or receive any
compensation from, the intended recipient of any increased funding proposed in
a budget resolution.

���� The President of the Senate
and the Speaker of the General Assembly shall establish a schedule for the
submission of budget resolutions to the Senate Budget and Appropriations
Committee and the Assembly Budget Committee, which schedule shall allow for budget
resolutions to be filed and made available to the public on the Legislature�s
Internet website through the Office of Legislative Services not later than June
1 of each year.� No budget resolution shall be filed with either committee and
no budget resolution shall be delivered to the Legislative Budget and Finance
Officer after June 1 of each year.� An annual appropriations bill that shall
pass both Houses of the Legislature shall contain only items proposed in the
Governor�s budget recommendations and additions, deletions, or changes in the
budget resolutions filed and made public pursuant to this act.

���� 2.� This act shall take effect
immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes a
statutory process by which members of the Legislature and the Executive Branch
(through the State Treasurer) may propose changes to the Governor�s budget
recommendations after they are transmitted to the Legislature.� These recommended
changes are formally known as budget resolutions.� This bill is intended to
provide greater transparency in the preparation of the annual appropriation
bill by requiring all budget resolutions to be filed and made available to the
public through the Office of Legislative Services not later than June 1 of each
year.�

���� Joint Rule 42 of the Senate
and General Assembly governs the current process for submitting proposals to
revise revenues, line-items of appropriation, and language provisions in the
Governor�s budget recommendations.� Budget resolutions may be filed with the
Legislature�s budget committees at least 14 calendar days prior to the passage
of the annual appropriations bill in each House of the Legislature, except in a
manner determined by the presiding officer of each House.� The joint rule
requires budget resolutions to be delivered to the Legislative Budget and
Finance Officer and made available to the public through the Office of
Legislative Services.�

���� The rule does not provide any
date by which budget resolutions are to be made available to the public.� It
has been common practice for budget resolutions to be posted on the
Legislature�s internet website long after the annual appropriations bill is enacted
into law, thereby hindering the public�s ability to assess the impact of budget
resolutions on the State�s annual finances.� Delaying the publication of budget
resolutions also prevents the timely disclosure of the sponsor or sponsors of
each budget resolution and whether they, or certain members of their immediate
family, have any employment or business relationship with an entity that is the
intended recipient of increased funding proposed in a budget resolution.�

���� It is the sponsor�s belief
that timely disclosure of budget resolutions prior to the enactment of the
annual appropriations bill will allow for ample examination of proposed changes
to the Governor�s recommendations and increase public confidence in the legislative
process.