02/14/2002 03:40 PM Senate STA

                                                                                                                                
             SB 236-HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS                                                                        
                                                                                                                              
CHAIRMAN  THERRIAULT drew  member's attention  to the  spreadsheet                                                              
with color-coded categories. They  asked Legislative Finance to go                                                              
through the  appropriation bill and  separate the  expenses. First                                                              
items  that are  supplemental to  the 2002  budget were  separated                                                              
then further  broken into  operating and  capital expenses.  Next,                                                              
items  that  were   clearly  2003  operating  budget   items  were                                                              
separated and finally 2003 capital requests were separated.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
He said his frustration with trying  to deal with the bill is that                                                              
it isn't  really an  appropriations bill it's  a finance  bill and                                                              
probably should  have been sent to  the Finance Committee  as part                                                              
of  a budget  package. It's  difficult  to deal  with because  the                                                              
Governor  has just  submitted his  2002  supplemental requests  so                                                              
anything  they would  consider  supplemental for  2002  has to  be                                                              
balanced  with   the  Governor's   other  supplemental   requests.                                                              
Additionally, anything they do in  2002 that impacts the operating                                                              
budget must  be considered in the  2003 operating budget.  If this                                                              
isn't  done, there  won't be  funds  to continue  that program  or                                                              
activity in fiscal year 2003.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
According to the spreadsheet, the  total supplemental general fund                                                              
operating  total is  $7.6 million.  To annualize  that amount,  it                                                              
would  take $26.6  million in  FY03  and there  simply aren't  the                                                              
funds available to build that into the budget.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
He recommended  forwarding the  bill and  the spreadsheets  to the                                                              
Finance  Committee   accompanied  by   a  letter  explaining   the                                                              
segmentation process. That committee  must decide whether there is                                                              
room for any of this in the FY02  supplemental budget then whether                                                              
they want to build any of it into the FY03 budget.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
He said he was open to discussion on other ways to handle this.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR PHILLIPS  thought standing committees should  give general                                                              
guidance  to  the  Finance  Committee  so  they  can  develop  the                                                              
numbers.  He   recommended  asking  the  various   departments  to                                                              
categorize and  prioritize their requests.  He said he  feels that                                                              
communications should be at the top of the list                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN THERRIAULT  asked whether communication should  be at the                                                              
top or should it be prioritized according to what is affordable.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR PHILLIPS said  he wouldn't attach a dollar  amount; rather                                                              
he  would   ask  the  departments   to  categorize   according  to                                                              
importance in dealing with any natural  or man made disaster. This                                                              
list should then be sent to the Finance Committee.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN THERRIAULT  remarked that, in finance,  the numbers drive                                                              
policy. How much can you afford?  This committee doesn't know what                                                              
the constraints are on the numbers.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
He said he has  no problem with asking the various  departments to                                                              
prioritize their requests, but he  doesn't know whether that would                                                              
make much difference in finance's deliberations.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  STEVENS expressed  the thought  that the  items that  are                                                              
mandated by  federal policy should  be given top priority.  At the                                                              
same  time,  they  should  find  out  whether  federal  funds  are                                                              
available to  pay for  those mandates.  If they aren't  available,                                                              
then  he doesn't  understand  why they  would  need to  be in  the                                                              
supplemental budget for FY02.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DAVIS point  out that as the reports were  handed out, the                                                              
overall theme  was that there were  some priorities that  had been                                                              
set,  but  she  didn't know  whether  there  were  dollar  amounts                                                              
attached  or not.  There are  also  federal funds  that have  been                                                              
designated for  the state  and that amount  has been  set. Perhaps                                                              
they could figure what the state  match would be when coupled with                                                              
the federal funds.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN THERRIAULT  reiterated he had no objection  to asking the                                                              
departments to  prioritize. Because  there are clearly  some items                                                              
on the spreadsheet  where money has already been  spent, those had                                                              
better  be  at the  top  of the  list.  If  they don't  get  those                                                              
dollars, they have a huge hole in  their FY02 budget. Perhaps that                                                              
will cull out some of the "fluff"  federal dollars because if they                                                              
don't believe  the federal  dollars  are going  to be there,  they                                                              
won't put those items very high on their list.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR HALFORD  agreed with Senator Stevens. The  federal dollars                                                              
in hand  have to be  considered as do  the federal  mandates. That                                                              
information will lead any action.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR STEVENS  added he  questioned how many  times some  of the                                                              
requests  have been  made  prior to  being  incorporated into  the                                                              
appropriation request.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DAVIS didn't think the departments  would prioritize their                                                              
requests and  even if they did,  someone would still have  to sort                                                              
out the  various lists. She  agreed with Chairman  Therriault that                                                              
they should forward the bill to finance.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR   HALFORD   made  a   motion   to  send   the   Chairman's                                                              
recommendation to the Finance Committee.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DAVIS seconded the motion.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
There being  no objection, the bill  was forwarded to  the Finance                                                              
Committee accompanied  by the spreadsheets  and a letter  from the                                                              
Chairman.