2016 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 4 - Management of State Agencies
Chapter 50 - Office of Policy and Management: General Provisions; Budget and Appropriations; State Planning
Section 4-72 - Governor’s budget message.

The budget document shall consist of the Governor’s budget message in which he or she shall set forth as follows: (1) The Governor’s program for meeting all the expenditure needs of the government for each fiscal year of the biennium to which the budget relates, indicating the classes of funds, general or special, from which such appropriations are to be made and the means through which such expenditure shall be financed; and (2) financial statements giving in summary form: (A) The financial position of all major state operating funds including revolving funds at the end of the last-completed fiscal year in a form consistent with accepted accounting practice. The Governor shall also set forth in similar form the estimated position of each such fund at the end of the year in progress and the estimated position of each such fund at the end of each fiscal year of the biennium to which the budget relates if the Governor’s proposals are put into effect; (B) a statement showing as of the close of the last-completed fiscal year, a year by year summary of all outstanding general obligation and special tax obligation debt of the state and a statement showing the yearly interest requirements on such outstanding debt; (C) a summary of appropriations recommended for each fiscal year of the biennium to which the budget relates for each budgeted agency and for the state as a whole in comparison with actual expenditures of the last-completed fiscal year and appropriations and estimated expenditures for the year in progress; (D) for the biennium commencing July 1, 1999, and each biennium thereafter, a summary of estimated expenditures for certain fringe benefits for each fiscal year of the biennium to which the budget relates for each budgeted agency; (E) a summary of permanent full-time positions setting forth the number filled and the number vacant as of the end of the last-completed fiscal year, the total number intended to be funded by appropriations without reduction for turnover for the fiscal year in progress, the total number requested and the total number recommended for each fiscal year of the biennium to which the budget relates; (F) a statement of expenditures for the last-completed and current fiscal years, the agency request and the Governor’s recommendation for each fiscal year of the ensuing biennium and, for any new or expanded program, estimated expenditure requirements for the fiscal year next succeeding the biennium to which the budget relates; (G) an explanation of any significant program changes requested by the agency or recommended by the Governor; (H) a summary of the revenue estimated to be received by the state during each fiscal year of the biennium to which the budget relates classified according to sources in comparison with the actual revenue received by the state during the last-completed fiscal year and estimated revenue during the year in progress; and (I) such other financial statements, data and comments as in the Governor’s opinion are necessary or desirable in order to make known in all practicable detail the financial condition and operations of the government and the effect that the budget as proposed by the Governor will have on such condition and operations. If the estimated revenue of the state for the ensuing biennium as set forth in the budget on the basis of existing statutes is less than the sum of net appropriations recommended for the ensuing biennium as contained in the budget, plus, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, and each fiscal year thereafter, the projected amount necessary to extinguish any unreserved negative balance in such fund as reported in the most recently audited comprehensive annual financial report issued by the Comptroller prior to the start of the biennium, the Governor shall make recommendations to the General Assembly in respect to the manner in which such deficit shall be met, whether by an increase in the indebtedness of the state, by the imposition of new taxes, by increased rates on existing taxes or otherwise. If the aggregate of such estimated revenue is greater than the sum of such recommended appropriations for the ensuing biennium plus, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, and each fiscal year thereafter, the projected amount necessary to extinguish any unreserved negative balance in such fund as reported in the most recently issued annual report of the Comptroller published in accordance with section 3-115, the Governor shall make such recommendations for the use of such surplus for the reduction of indebtedness, for the reduction in taxation or for other purposes as in the Governor’s opinion are in the best interest of the public welfare.

(1949 Rev., S. 226; 1951, S. 76d; 1971, P.A. 1, S. 6; 490; P.A. 79-446, S. 1; P.A. 86-305, S. 1; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-3, S. 36, 168; P.A. 98-263, S. 12, 21; P.A. 11-48, S. 48; Dec. Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-1, S. 11.)

History: 1971 acts made changes reflecting switch from biennial to annual sessions and required inclusion of revolving funds’ status in budget document; P.A. 79-446 required inclusion of estimated interest and debt redemption information for year to which budget relates and additionally required summary of permanent full-time positions; P.A. 86-305 deleted requirement that budget message set forth “statements showing as of the close of the last-completed fiscal year and as of January first of the fiscal year in progress the bonded indebtedness of the state, the debt authorized and unissued, the debt temporarily incurred and the condition of the sinking funds and statements showing for the last-completed fiscal year the actual interest requirements on state indebtedness and any debt redemption and, for the year in progress and for the year to which the budget relates, the estimated interest requirements and debt redemption” and substituted requirement that message set forth “a statement showing as of the close of the last-completed fiscal year, a year by year summary of all outstanding general obligation and special tax obligation debt of the state and a statement showing the yearly interest requirements on such outstanding debt”; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-3 amended language to reflect change from annual to biennial budget, effective July 1, 1992, and applicable to biennium commencing July 1, 1993; (Revisor’s note: In 1995 the lower case alphabetic indicators in Subdiv. (2) were changed editorially by the Revisors to upper case for consistency with statutory usage); P.A. 98-263 added new Subpara. (D) to Subdiv. (2), requiring document to set forth, for the biennium commencing July 1, 1999, and each biennium thereafter, a summary of estimated expenditures for certain fringe benefits for each budgeted agency, and redesignated existing Subparas. (D) to (F) as Subparas. (E) to (G), effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 11-48 deleted reference to “Part I” of the budget document, made technical changes, added new Subpara. (F) re statement of expenditures, agency requests and Governor’s recommendations, added new Subpara. (G) re explanation of significant program changes, redesignated existing Subparas. (F) to (G) as Subparas. (H) to (I), deleted references to estimated unappropriated surplus, replaced “aggregate” with “sum of net” re appropriations recommended, added provision re projected amount necessary to extinguish any unreserved negative balance re Governor’s recommendations for meeting a deficit, added “sum of” re recommended appropriations and added provision re projected amount necessary to extinguish any unreserved negative balance re Governor’s recommendations for use of surplus, effective July 1, 2011; Dec. Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-1 replaced provision re audited comprehensive annual financial report issued by the Comptroller prior to start of biennium with provision re issued annual report of the Comptroller published in accordance with Sec. 3-115, effective December 29, 2015.