HB2571: State of emergency; spending authority during budgetary lapse.

Legislative Summary

State of emergency; spending authority during budgetary lapse. Authorizes the Governor to declare a state of emergency in the event of a budgetary lapse, defined as a state of affairs in which the general appropriation act has expired and no lawful appropriation authority is in effect. Upon such a declaration of a state of emergency, the Governor shall have authority to continue disbursement of funds for essential public services, defined in the bill, at levels equivalent to those that were in effect prior to expiration of the general appropriation act. Such spending authority shall begin upon declaration of a state of emergency during a budgetary lapse and shall continue until enactment of a general appropriation act. The Governor, upon declaring a state of emergency, shall have 30 days to provide a report to the General Assembly that details his plan to continue the functioning of essential public services during the budgetary lapse and to submit a budget bill to the General Assembly that, if enacted, would end the emergency. The bill contains an enactment clause providing that, unless reenacted, it shall expire two years and six months after the end of the session of the General Assembly in which it is enacted.