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AB

Bill

A 3805

Establishes process for submittal and publication of proposed revisions to Governor's budget recommendations and requires publication of proposals by June 1 annually.

2026-2027 Regular Session Introduced by Al Barlas and 4 co-sponsors

Establishes a June 1 deadline for filing and posting all budget resolutions and requires detailed sponsor disclosures to boost transparency and public review.

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee
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Bill Summary · A 3805

Summary of Bill A 3805 (Session 222, New Jersey)

Purpose and intent

  • Establishes a formal, transparent process for proposing revisions to the Governor’s budget recommendations during the preparation of the annual State appropriations bill.
  • Requires that all proposed budget resolutions (changes to revenues, line-items, or language provisions) be filed and made public by June 1 each year.
  • Aims to improve transparency and public scrutiny of the legislative and executive budgeting process.

Key provisions and changes

  • Definition and mechanism of budget resolutions

    • Chairs of both the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee and the Assembly Budget Committee must accept budget resolutions proposed by any member of the Senate or General Assembly, and by the State Treasurer.
    • Budget resolutions may propose:
    • Additions or deletions to revenues
    • Changes to line-items of appropriation
    • Changes to language provisions in the Governor’s budget recommendations
    • Resolutions must be filed with the appropriate committee, in a form determined by the President of the Senate and Speaker of the General Assembly, and identified by sponsors.

  • Disclosure requirements

    • Each budget resolution sponsor must include a detailed description of each proposed change and a statement of the reasons.
    • Sponsors must attach a personal disclosure statement detailing any employment or business relationships (or compensation) with the entity that would receive increased funding, including relationships of the sponsor or their immediate family.

  • Public availability and timeline

    • The President and Speaker must set a schedule for submission of budget resolutions to the budget committees.
    • All budget resolutions must be filed and made publicly available on the Legislature’s website (Office of Legislative Services) no later than June 1 each year.
    • No budget resolution may be filed or delivered after June 1.
    • An annual appropriations bill that passes both Houses may include only items from the Governor’s budget recommendations and those proposed in the filed budget resolutions (i.e., the changes accepted or modified by the resolutions).

  • Procedural context

    • The act supplements Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
    • Takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Who/what is affected

  • Legislative process participants: Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee, Assembly Budget Committee, and their chairs; Legislative Budget and Finance Officer; members of the Senate and General Assembly.
  • State Treasury: Involvement through the submission and disclosure requirements in budget resolutions.
  • Public and oversight bodies: The public gains access to proposed changes and sponsor disclosures via the Legislature’s website by June 1 annually.
  • Governor’s budget process: The annual appropriations bill remains constrained to items in the Governor’s budget recommendations plus changes captured in filed budget resolutions.

Significant procedural or timeline aspects

  • Current practice under Joint Rule 42 allows budget resolutions to be filed up to 14 days before passage, with public posting often delayed. This bill:
    • Sets a hard annual deadline: June 1 for filing and public posting of all budget resolutions.
    • Requires public availability of proposed changes and sponsor disclosures by that deadline.
    • Ensures the final annual appropriations bill can only include items from the Governor’s budget plus approved resolutions.

Practical impact

  • Increases transparency of the legislative budget process.
  • Enables timely public review of proposed revenue changes, line-item adjustments, and language modifications before final budget passage.
  • Introduces stronger ethics/disclosure measures for sponsors, particularly regarding potential conflicts of interest with funding recipients.
  • Potentially influences the scope of the annual appropriations bill by narrowing it to Governor’s recommendations plus documented amendments filed by June 1.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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