[ Search ] [ Legislation ]
[ Home ] [ Back ] [ Bottom ]
91_SB1716 LRB9111561JMdvA 1 AN ACT concerning State budget stabilization. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the 5 Rainy Day Budget Stabilization Act. 6 Section 5. Budget Stabilization Fund. The Budget 7 Stabilization Fund is established as a special fund in the 8 State treasury in order to reduce the need for future tax 9 increases, maintain the highest possible bond rating, reduce 10 the need for short term borrowing, and provide available 11 resources to meet State obligations whenever casual deficits 12 or failures in revenue occur. In authorizing transfers from 13 the Budget Stabilization Fund, priority consideration shall 14 be given in meeting obligations for secondary and elementary 15 education, child care, and other programs that may provide a 16 direct benefit to children. 17 Section 10. Payment into the Budget Stabilization Fund. 18 (a) During fiscal year 2001, the Comptroller shall 19 transfer a total of $100,000,000 into the Budget 20 Stabilization Fund. 21 (b) Beginning with fiscal year 2002, for every fiscal 22 year in which the anticipated revenues into the State's 23 general funds are estimated by the Governor to exceed the 24 prior year's general funds revenues by more than 4%, the 25 Comptroller shall transfer from the General Revenue Fund into 26 the Budget Stabilization Fund an amount equal to 0.25% of the 27 anticipated general funds revenues. Nothing in this Act 28 shall prohibit the General Assembly from appropriating 29 additional moneys into the Budget Stabilization Fund. 30 (c) The Comptroller shall transfer 1/12 of the total -2- LRB9111561JMdvA 1 amount to be transferred each fiscal year into the Budget 2 Stabilization Fund under subsection (b) on the first day of 3 each month of that fiscal year or as soon thereafter as 4 possible. At any time during the fiscal year when failures 5 in revenue are occurring, the Governor may order the 6 Comptroller to suspend a transfer authorized by this 7 subsection. Thereafter, transfers shall resume unless 8 further suspended by the Governor pursuant to this 9 subsection. 10 (d) If the balance in the Budget Stabilization Fund 11 exceeds 4% of the Governor's estimate of total general funds 12 revenues for that fiscal year, any subsequent transfers 13 required by this Section to the Fund shall be suspended for 14 that fiscal year. 15 Section 15. Notifications. 16 (a) At any time when the Governor determines that there 17 are insufficient resources available within the general funds 18 of the State to meet the State's obligations, the Governor 19 may request the General Assembly to do one or more of the 20 following: 21 (1) Enact legislation as it may deem necessary to 22 appropriate the transfer of funds or reduce 23 appropriations of the current State budget; 24 (2) Enact legislation as it may deem necessary to 25 transfer funds from the Budget Stabilization Fund to the 26 general funds; or 27 (3) Authorize the Governor, in a written document 28 certified by the President of the Senate and the Speaker 29 of the House of Representatives, to direct the 30 Comptroller to make transfers from the Budget 31 Stabilization Fund to the general funds in order to 32 address cash flow emergencies. 33 (b) If the General Assembly is not in regular session to -3- LRB9111561JMdvA 1 enact legislation as provided in subsection (a), the 2 President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of 3 Representatives may certify that the Senate and the House of 4 Representatives are not in regular session and approve of the 5 Governor's request to transfer funds from the Budget 6 Stabilization Fund to the general funds in order to address 7 cash flow emergencies. 8 (c) The Comptroller shall notify the Governor upon 9 determination that there is, or may be, a cash flow emergency 10 in meeting the obligations of the State. 11 Section 20. Use of the Budget Stabilization Fund. 12 (a) Upon receipt of the certification from the President 13 of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives 14 authorizing the transfer of funds from the Budget 15 Stabilization Fund, the Governor may direct the Comptroller 16 to transfer a specified amount from the Budget Stabilization 17 Fund to a general fund. The directive to the Comptroller 18 shall state whether the transfer is in response to failures 19 in revenue where collections are not anticipated to meet 20 projections in the current fiscal year or in response to a 21 casual deficit in revenue where collections are expected to 22 meet projections in the current fiscal year. 23 (b) The Governor shall be authorized to direct the 24 Comptroller to transfer funds under this Act until such time 25 as a quorum of the General Assembly can convene in regular or 26 special session in order to enact the appropriate legislative 27 actions. 28 (c) If transfers authorized in subsection (a) were 29 deemed necessary by the Governor for the purpose of 30 responding to casual deficits in projected revenue within the 31 same fiscal year, the Governor shall direct the Comptroller 32 to transfer all amounts transferred for this purpose from the 33 appropriate general fund into the Budget Stabilization Fund -4- LRB9111561JMdvA 1 by the end of the same fiscal year or as soon thereafter as 2 possible. 3 Section 95. The State Finance Act is amended by adding 4 Section 5.541 as follows: 5 (30 ILCS 105/5.541 new) 6 Sec. 5.541. The Budget Stabilization Fund. 7 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 8 2000.