The Florida Senate

216.023  Legislative budget requests to be furnished to Legislature by agencies.--

(1)  The head of each state agency, except as provided in subsection (2), shall submit a final legislative budget request to the Legislature and to the Governor, as chief budget officer of the state, in the form and manner prescribed in the budget instructions and at such time as specified by the Executive Office of the Governor, based on the agency's independent judgment of its needs. However, no state agency shall submit its complete legislative budget request, including all supporting forms and schedules required by this chapter, later than September 15 of each year.

(2)  The judicial branch and the Division of Administrative Hearings shall submit their complete legislative budget requests directly to the Legislature with a copy to the Governor, as chief budget officer of the state, in the form and manner as prescribed in the budget instructions. However, the complete legislative budget requests, including all supporting forms and schedules required by this chapter, shall be submitted no later than September 15 of each year.

(3)  The Executive Office of the Governor and the appropriations committees of the Legislature shall jointly develop legislative budget instructions for preparing the exhibits and schedules that make up the agency budget from which each agency and the judicial branch shall prepare their budget request. The budget instructions shall be consistent with s. 216.141 and shall be transmitted to each agency and to the judicial branch no later than June 15 of each year. In the event that agreement cannot be reached between the Executive Office of the Governor and the appropriations committees of the Legislature regarding legislative budget instructions, the issue shall be resolved by the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(4)(a)  The legislative budget request must contain for each program:

1.  The constitutional or statutory authority for a program, a brief purpose statement, and approved program components.

2.  Information on expenditures for 3 fiscal years (actual prior-year expenditures, current-year estimated expenditures, and agency budget requested expenditures for the next fiscal year) by appropriation category.

3.  Details on trust funds and fees.

4.  The total number of positions (authorized, fixed, and requested).

5.  An issue narrative describing and justifying changes in amounts and positions requested for current and proposed programs for the next fiscal year.

6.  Information resource requests.

7.  Legislatively approved output and outcome performance measures and any proposed revisions to measures.

8.  Proposed performance standards for each performance measure and justification for the standards and the sources of data to be used for measurement.

9.  Prior-year performance data on approved performance measures and an explanation of deviation from expected performance. Performance data must be assessed for reliability in accordance with s. 20.055

10.  Proposed performance incentives and disincentives.

(b)  It is the intent of the Legislature that total accountability measures, including unit-cost data, serve not only as a budgeting tool but also as a policymaking tool and an accountability tool. Therefore, each state agency and the judicial branch must submit a one-page summary of information for the preceding year in accordance with the legislative budget instructions. Each one-page summary must contain:

1.  The final budget for the agency and the judicial branch.

2.  Total funds from the General Appropriations Act.

3.  Adjustments to the General Appropriations Act.

4.  The line-item listings of all activities.

5.  The number of activity units performed or accomplished.

6.  Total expenditures for each activity, including amounts paid to contractors and subordinate entities. Expenditures related to administrative activities not aligned with output measures must consistently be allocated to activities with output measures prior to computing unit costs.

7.  The cost per unit for each activity, including the costs allocated to contractors and subordinate entities.

8.  The total amount of reversions and pass-through expenditures omitted from unit-cost calculations.

At the regular session immediately following the submission of the agency unit cost summary, the Legislature shall reduce in the General Appropriations Act for the ensuing fiscal year, by an amount equal to at least 10 percent of the allocation for the fiscal year preceding the current fiscal year, the funding of each state agency that fails to submit the report required under this paragraph.

(5)  At the time specified in the legislative budget instructions and in sufficient time to be included in the Governor's recommended budget, the judicial branch is required to submit a performance-based program budget request. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall identify and, after consultation with the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, submit to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a list of proposed programs and associated performance measures. The judicial branch shall provide documentation to accompany the list of proposed programs and performance measures as provided under subsection (4). The judicial branch shall submit a performance-based program agency budget request using the programs and performance measures adopted by the Legislature. The Chief Justice may propose revisions to approved programs or performance measures for the judicial branch. The Legislature shall have final approval of all programs and associated performance measures and standards for the judicial branch through the General Appropriations Act or legislation implementing the General Appropriations Act. By September 15, 2001, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall submit to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a performance-based program budget request for programs of the judicial branch approved by the Legislature and provide a copy to the Executive Office of the Governor.

(6)  Agencies must maintain a comprehensive performance accountability system and provide a list of performance measures maintained by the agency which are in addition to the measures approved by the Legislature.

(7)  Annually, by June 30, executive agencies shall submit to the Executive Office of the Governor adjustments to their performance standards based on the amounts appropriated for each program by the Legislature. When such an adjustment is made, all performance standards, including any adjustments made, shall be reviewed and revised as necessary by the Executive Office of the Governor and, upon approval, submitted to the Legislature pursuant to the review and approval process provided in s. 216.177 The Senate Committee on Fiscal Policy and the House of Representatives Fiscal Responsibility Council shall advise Senate substantive committees and House of Representatives substantive committees, respectively, of all adjustments made to performance standards or measures. The Executive Office of the Governor shall maintain both the official record of adjustments to the performance standards as part of the agency's approved operating budget and the official performance ledger. As used in this section, "performance ledger" means the official compilation of information about state agency performance-based programs and measures, including approved programs, approved outputs and outcomes, baseline data, approved standards for each performance measure and any approved adjustments thereto, as well as actual agency performance for each measure.

(8)  As a part of the legislative budget request, the head of each state agency and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for the judicial branch shall include an inventory of all litigation in which the agency is involved that may require additional appropriations to the agency or amendments to the law under which the agency operates. No later than March 1 following the submission of the legislative budget request, the head of the state agency and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall provide an update of any additions or changes to the inventory. Such inventory shall include ¹information specified annually in the legislative budget instructions.

(9)  Annually, by June 30, the judicial branch shall make adjustments to any performance standards for approved programs based on the amount appropriated for each program, which shall be submitted to the Legislature pursuant to the notice and review process provided in s. 216.177 The Senate Committee on Fiscal Policy and the House Fiscal Responsibility Council shall advise Senate substantive committees and House substantive committees, respectively, of all adjustments made to performance standards or measures.

(10)  The Executive Office of the Governor shall review the legislative budget request for technical compliance with the budget format provided for in the budget instructions. The Executive Office of the Governor shall notify the agency or the judicial branch of any adjustment required. The agency or judicial branch shall make the appropriate corrections as requested. If the appropriate technical corrections are not made as requested, the Executive Office of the Governor shall adjust the budget request to incorporate the appropriate technical corrections in the format of the request.

(11)  At any time after the Governor and the Chief Justice submit their recommended budgets to the Legislature, the head of the agency or judicial branch may amend his or her request by transmitting to the Governor and the Legislature an amended request in the form and manner prescribed in the legislative budget instructions.

(12)  The legislative budget request from each agency and from the judicial branch shall be reviewed by the Legislature. The review may allow for the opportunity to have information or testimony by the agency, the judicial branch, the Auditor General, the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, the Governor's Office of Planning and Budgeting, and the public regarding the proper level of funding for the agency in order to carry out its mission.

(13)  In order to ensure an integrated state planning and budgeting process, the agency long-range plan should be reviewed by the Legislature.

History.--s. 31, ch. 69-106; s. 1, ch. 77-314; s. 3, ch. 77-352; s. 11, ch. 79-190; s. 2, ch. 80-45; s. 4, ch. 83-49; s. 2, ch. 86-297; s. 2, ch. 89-51; s. 8, ch. 90-110; s. 4, ch. 91-109; s. 38, ch. 92-142; s. 1157, ch. 95-147; s. 15, ch. 97-95; s. 18, ch. 2000-237; s. 7, ch. 2000-371; s. 3, ch. 2001-56; s. 2, ch. 2001-238; s. 9, ch. 2001-266; s. 2, ch. 2001-380; s. 1, ch. 2003-55.

¹Note.--As added by s. 3, ch. 2001-56. The subsection, as added by s. 9, ch. 2001-266, used the words "those items" instead of the word "information."