Preparation and legislative consideration of a biennial budget bill; making all meetings of the Joint Committee on Finance relating to the biennial budget bill available in real time for viewing by the public on the legislature's Internet Web site; and reporting of certain information by lobbying principals

This bill prohibits state agencies from submitting a proposal for an earmark or a nonfiscal policy item. Under the bill, an "earmark" includes a provision that authorizes or requires the payment of state moneys to a specific beneficiary or beneficiaries in a manner not determined by laws of general applicability for the selection of the beneficiary or beneficiaries. Similarly, a nonfiscal policy item is a provision that does not appropriate money, provide for revenue, or relate to taxation.

Biennial state agency budget modification report Currently, the secretary of administration must prepare a biennial budget report for distribution to the legislature on the same day that the governor delivers his budget message to the legislature. The report contains a variety of information relating to the state's finances, expenditures, and revenues. This bill requires the secretary of administration to also prepare a biennial state agency budget modification report that includes the following information: a statement identifying each proposal in the executive budget bill that was requested by a state agency, but that was altered by the governor; a statement identifying each proposal in the executive budget bill that was not requested by a state agency; and a statement specifying the costs of each of these two proposals, the policy reasons for including each proposal in the executive budget bill, and the intended beneficiary or beneficiaries of each proposal.

Earmark transparency report The bill requires LFB to prepare an earmark transparency report on each biennial budget bill and on each amendment thereto. The report must contain all of the following: a list of all earmarks and nonfiscal policy items; the cost of each earmark and nonfiscal policy item; and the beneficiary of each earmark and nonfiscal policy item. If the beneficiary is an individual, LFB must identify the assembly and senate district in which the beneficiary resides. If the beneficiary is an entity, LFB must identify the assembly and senate district in which the beneficiary is located, incorporated, or organized. With respect to an amendment to a biennial budget bill, LFB must identify the representative to the assembly or senator who proposed the earmark or nonfiscal policy item.

Joint Committee on Finance consideration of biennial budget bill The bill provides that the Joint Committee on Finance (JCF) may not vote to recommend passage of a biennial budget bill or an amendment thereto until LFB has distributed a copy of the earmark transparency report to each member of the legislature and at least 48 hours have passed from the time when LFB has distributed the report to all of the members.

This bill requires that all meetings of JCF relating to the biennial budget bill be available in real time for viewing by the public on the legislature's Internet Web site. The bill further provides that all documents before JCF at each meeting must be available on the legislature's Internet Web site for viewing by the public.

Senate and assembly consideration of biennial budget bill The bill provides that neither house of the legislature may pass a biennial budget bill until LFB has distributed a copy of an earmark transparency report on the biennial budget bill, as amended, to each member of the legislature and at least 48 hours have passed from the time when LFB has distributed the report to all of the members. The bill further provides that, if a committee of conference is convened on a biennial budget bill, a conference report may not contain any earmark or nonfiscal policy item that was not included in the executive budget bill or an amendment thereto that was passed by either house of the legislature but may reduce any earmark that was so included.

Reporting of information by lobbying principals Currently, with certain exceptions, a principal (person who employs a lobbyist) must register and file semiannual reports with the Government Accountability Board. This bill requires a principal to include in its report the name of each member of the legislature to whom the principal made one or more lobbying communications.