Bryant Release: Legislative Budget Committee set to meet

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET COMMITTEE SET TO MEET

Bryant, ‘This antiquated system of budgeting must change’

JACKSON – Joint Legislative Budget Committee members are slated to return to the Capitol for budget hearings on the next Fiscal Year, which begins July 2, 2012.

Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant had recently met with Speaker Billy McCoy to discuss canceling the September hearings. At least four current members, Lt. Governor Bryant, and Speaker McCoy will not be returning to the Legislative Budget Committee in January.

“The Speaker and I discussed the idea of canceling the September hearings and he objected to my proposal resulting in the hearings going forward,” said Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant.

Typically the Budget Committee’s recommendations are used as a blueprint for the budget process that will begin in January. But with so much turn over within the committee, Lt. Gov. Bryant wants to be careful and not dictate a new FY 2013 budget to the newly elected legislature that will assemble in January.

Not shying away from the issue, Lt. Gov. Bryant said the whole process of how the state budgets its money, is antiquated and deserves change.

“I have made it no secret that I believe we need to adopt a more efficient budgeting system than what is currently used,” said Bryant. “I will continue to push for a performance based budgeting system in this next legislative session and put an end to this age old process.”

Known as the Smart Budget Act, the purpose of the performance budgeting process is to require budget decisions to be made based on whether state agencies are accomplishing expected results.

Similar legislation was introduced in the 2011 session and passed the Senate. However the Smart Budget Act failed to be brought up for discussion in the House and died in committee.