08 LC 18
7529S
The
House Committee on Ways and Means offers the following substitute to SR
20:
A
RESOLUTION
Proposing
an amendment to the Constitution so as to provide for prioritized funding
requirements regarding certain supplementary appropriations Acts; to provide for
procedures, conditions, and limitations; to provide for the authority of the
General Assembly with respect to the foregoing; to provide for the submission of
this amendment for ratification or rejection; and for other
purposes.
BE
IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
Article
III, Section IX of the Constitution is amended by adding a new Paragraph V-A to
read as follows:
"Paragraph
V-A.
Taxpayer
protection amendment of 2008. (a) On or
after January 1, 2011, any supplementary appropriations Act under this section
which amends the General Appropriations Act for the current fiscal year by
appropriating revenues in excess of the revenues appropriated in such General
Appropriations Act shall, in the following order of priority, fund:
(1)
Increases due to student enrollment for local school systems;
(2)
The Revenue Shortfall Reserve to the extent necessary to ensure that the fund
balance is at least 8 percent of the previous fiscal year´s net revenue for
any given fiscal year; and
(3)
The reduction of state indebtedness or the provision of tax relief to the
taxpayers, or both.
(b)
The General Assembly shall be authorized to appropriate revenues in a
supplementary appropriations Act which amends the General Appropriations Act for
the current fiscal year by appropriating revenues in excess of the revenues
appropriated in such General Appropriations Act without being subject to the
requirements of subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph, but only after the adoption
of a joint resolution of the General Assembly by a three-fifths´ vote of
both houses of the General Assembly voting in a roll-call vote, which joint
resolution states the intent of the General Assembly to appropriate those
revenues without being subject to the requirements of subparagraph (a) of this
Paragraph.
(c)
The General Assembly shall enact legislation that may be necessary to implement
and enforce the provisions of this Paragraph."
SECTION
2.
The
above proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be published and submitted as
provided in Article X, Section I, Paragraph II of the Constitution. The ballot
submitting the above proposed amendment shall have written or printed thereon
the following:
|
"( ) YES
( ) NO
|
Shall
the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide for limitations on the
expenditure of excess revenues and budget surpluses by providing for prioritized
funding requirements?"
|
All
persons desiring to vote in favor of ratifying the proposed amendment shall vote
"Yes." All persons desiring to vote against ratifying the proposed amendment
shall vote "No." If such amendment shall be ratified as provided in said
Paragraph of the Constitution, it shall become a part of the Constitution of
this state.