HB4307 - Authorizing Division of Highways transfer of spending authority between appropriations

1 Co-Sponsor

The purpose of this bill is to allow the Commissioner of the Division of Highways to utilize the spending authority of the State Road Fund to pay current obligations by moving spending authority within the fund for a fiscal year. This would also give the DOH the same or similar ability to transfer spending authority the other Special Revenue agencies have. When the agency forecasts what funding it will need two years out, the estimates for each appropriation line are never exact. DOH may predict it will need $1 million in maintenance but halfway through the fiscal year the need in maintenance is greater than anticipated. Under this proposed legislation, spending authority could be moved to maintenance from any other appropriation which had been allocated more than will be utilized that fiscal year. The Legislature would still approve the overall allocation for the State Road Fund through the annual budget bill and the Division would report the transfers to the Governor and the Legislature at least annually.