Entity That Writes the Appropriations Bill(s) to Be Introduced in the Legislature

Legislative Budget Procedures: Development of the Recommended Budget

Legislative Budget Procedures Executive Summary

Entity That Writes the Appropriations Bill(s) to Be Introduced in the Legislature

State or Other Jurisdiction	Executive Branch	Senate Appropriations Committee Staff	Assembly or House Appropriations Committee Staff	Nonpartisan Fiscal Staff Office	Other
Alabama	x	---	---	---	---
Alaska	x	---	---	---	---
Arizona	---	---	---	x *	---
Arkansas	---	---	---	x	---
California	x	---	---	---	---
Colorado	---	---	---	x *	---
Connecticut	x	---	---	---	---
Delaware	---	---	---	x *	---
Florida	---	x	x	---	---
Georgia	---	---	---	x	---
Hawaii	x	---	---	---	---
Idaho	---	---	---	x	---
Illinois	x	---	---	---	---
Indiana	---	---	---	---	x *
Iowa	---	x *	x *	---	---
Kansas	x	---	---	---	---
Kentucky	x *	---	---	---	---
Louisiana	x	---	---	---	---
Maine	x	---	---	---	---
Maryland	x	---	---	---	---
Massachusetts	x	---	---	---	---
Michigan	x	---	---	---	---
Minnesota	x *	---	---	---	---
Mississippi	---	x *	x *	---	---
Missouri	x	---	---	---	---
Montana	x *	---	---	---	---
Nebraska	x *	---	---	---	*
Nevada	---	---	---	x	---
New Hampshire	---	---	---	x	---
New Jersey	---	x *	x *	x *	---
New Mexico	---	---	---	x *	---
New York	x	---	---	---	---
North Carolina	---	---	---	---	x *
North Dakota	x	---	---	---	---
Ohio	---	---	---	x	---
Oklahoma	---	x *	x *	---	x
Oregon	x *	---	---	---	---
Pennsylvania	x *	x *	x *	---	---
Rhode Island	x	---	---	---	---
South Carolina	---	---	x	---	---
South Dakota	---	---	---	x	---
Tennessee	x	---	---	---	---
Texas	---	---	---	x *	---
Utah	---	---	---	x *	---
Vermont	x	---	---	---	---
Virginia	x	---	---	---	---
Washington	x	---	---	---	---
West Virginia	x	---	---	---	---
Wisconsin	x *	---	---	---	---
Wyoming	---	---	---	x *	---
American Samoa	---	---	---	---	---
District of Columbia	---	---	---	---	---
Guam	---	---	---	x *	---
Northern Mariana Islands	---	---	x *	---	---
Puerto Rico	x	---	---	---	---
U.S. Virgin Islands	---	---	---	---	---
Total: States	28	6	7	15	3
Total: States and Territories	29	6	8	16	3

Source: National Conference of State Legislatures, December 1997.

Key:
-- = Not applicable
N/R = No response

*Notes:

Arizona: Staff of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee prepare the appropriations bills introduced in the Legislature.

Colorado: Staff of the Joint Budget Committee prepare the appropriations bill introduced in the General Assembly.

Delaware: The Office of the Comptroller General prepares the appropriations bills introduced in the General Assembly.

Indiana: The Budget Committee, which consists of four legislators and the state budget director, reviews requests and makes a recommendation for appropriations.

Iowa: The Senate and House appropriations committees introduce the bills in their respective chambers. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau is the primary staff for the appropriations committees; the actual drafting is completed by the Legislative Service Bureau.

Kentucky: The executive branch drafts the proposed act for the executive branch, the chief justice for the judicial branch, and the Legislative Research Commission for the legislative branch.

Minnesota: The executive branch writes bills for introduction. The House and Senate staff write the bills for each body--they may include much of the language from the executive branch bills.

Mississippi: Both the Senate and the House write appropriations bills. Half the bills start in the Senate, half in the House.

Montana: The executive budget bill is ignored. Legislative staff write all subsequent general appropriations acts.

Nebraska: In the unicameral Legislature, the Appropriations Committee may introduce new bills if the governor’s bills are not used.

New Jersey: The Senate and Assembly appropriations committees each act to revise the governor’s appropriation recommendations and the Office of Legislative Services drafts separate bills for introduction in each house, at the direction of the chairs.

New Mexico: The executive branch shall write the budget to be introduced until 1997 and the Legislative Finance Committee staff shall do so after 1997.

North Carolina: The Bill Drafting Division, a nonpartisan legislative office serving both houses, writes the appropriations bills that are introduced in the General Assembly.

Oklahoma: The Senate introduces appropriations bills for half the state agencies; the House introduces the other half. The following year the House introduces bills for the agencies the Senate introduced the previous year, etc.

Oregon: The executive branch writes the recommended executive budget through legislative counsel.

Pennsylvania: The appropriations bill is written by the executive branch, Senate appropriations staff and House appropriations staff. As a practice, the General Assembly can write its own if necessary.

Texas: A joint legislative agency, the Legislative Budget Board, writes the budget to be introduced in the Legislature.

Utah: Under the direction of the Executive Appropriations Committee.

Wisconsin: The executive branch controls content, but the bill is actually drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Wyoming: Nonpartisan fiscal staff is the Joint Appropriations Committee staff.

Guam: Unicameral Legislature--Committee on Finance and Taxation.

Northern Mariana Islands: All appropriations bills must originate in the House of Representatives.

The publication to which this table belongs, Legislative Budget Procedures: A Guide to Appropriations and Budget Processes in the States, Commonwealths and Territories, is available wholly and solely online.
Posted March 1999, reviewed December 2003.
Email statebudget-info@ncsl.org for more information.
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