HB 67, which would require the Office of Budget and Management to maintain a web site showing capital project appropriations and re-appropriations and to submit a biennial report to the General Assembly received a Sponsor’s Hearing November 15. The bill’s Sponsor, Rep. McGregor, said he has come to believe that there is a better way to track capital appropriations because when he was elected he became aware of a project in his district that had been approved during the tenure of his predecessor but it still was not completed. “By managing the re-appropriations process we will be able to make sure that unneeded projects are not occupying monies that could be used for other projects to move forward.”
To obtain this information, McGregor said that every organization overseeing a capital project must submit a list of all the
appropriations and reappropriations a capital project has received. He said they must also provide a list of all
projects that have received an appropriation and at least two reappropriations but for which no money has been
spent.
He told the panel that this answers the question, “How long has it been on the books?”
He said the bill originally proposed requiring these reports be due starting Jan. 31, 2012 but that that date might
need to be modified.
McGregor said the reappropriations decision needs to be a “conscious decision” but legislators now are not given
enough information to do that.
Rep. Lundy asked when “the plug would be pulled?” while Rep. Beck suggested that perhaps after five years a
project would no longer receive funding. McGregor clarified that idea, saying if a “good case” can be made, funding
could be continued.