09 LC 18 7952S(SCS)
Senate
Resolution 1
By:
Senators Rogers of the 21st, Shafer of the 48th, Seabaugh of the 28th, Williams
of the 19th, Pearson of the 51st and others
ADOPTED
SENATE
A
RESOLUTION
Proposing
an amendment to the Constitution so as to provide for prioritized funding
requirements regarding certain supplemental appropriations bills; to provide for
a short title; 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.
Supplemental
appropriation bill
requirements.
(a) This Paragraph shall be known and may be cited as the 'Taxpayer Protection
Amendment.'
(b)
Any supplemental appropriation bill 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 10 percent of the previous fiscal year's net revenue for any
given fiscal year;
(3)
The reduction of state indebtedness or the provision of tax relief to the
taxpayers, or both.
(c)
The General Assembly shall be authorized to appropriate revenues in a
supplemental appropriation bill which amends the General Appropriations Act for
the current fiscal year without being subject to the requirements of
subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph but only after the adoption of a joint
resolution of the General Assembly by a two-thirds' vote of the members of each
house 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 (b) of this Paragraph.
(d)
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 state budget surpluses?"
|
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.