For Immediate Release: August
20, 2003
Senator
Mike Morgan
Legislative Committee to Begin Zero-Based
Budget Hearings Monday
(Oklahoma
City) -- The newly created Legislative Oversight Committee on
State Budget Performance will hold its first meeting Monday, August
25, Senate Appropriations Chairman Mike
Morgan announced Wednesday.
“Zero-based budgeting was a major issue in Governor
Henry’s campaign a year ago. We established this committee
through legislation last spring to change the way the Legislature
approaches writing the budget. We’re going to examine every
dollar appropriated to every state agency,” Morgan said.
House Appropriations and Budget Committee Chairman Billy
Mitchell, D-Lindsay, and Morgan, D-Stillwater, were the authors
of House Bill 1256 that created the committee. The legislation
was developed in cooperation with Republican leaders in both the
Senate and the House.
Morgan will serve as the committee chairman. Mitchell will be
vice chairman.
The committee is charged with the responsibility of reviewing
each state agency’s budget from the bottom up once every
four years.
It will begin its work next week with an examination of the overall
budget process.
“Monday we’re going to start at the very heart of
the budget process, by reviewing the documents the Office
of State Finance uses for agency budget requests. That’s
starting at ground zero,” Morgan said.
The agenda for Monday’s meeting also includes establishing
the four-year schedule of agency evaluation review and setting
meeting dates for agency budget evaluation hearings.
Under the new law, the committee will report its findings on each
agency. The report must include a review of the agency’s
programs, performance and management; whether the agency has demonstrated
that there is a need for the services and programs which justifies
the agency’s continued existence; and whether the agency
is the most appropriate provider of the programs and services
furnished by the agency.
In addition to Morgan and Mitchell, members of the bi-partisan
committee are Senator Johnnie
Crutchfield, D-Ardmore; Senator Ben
Robinson, D-Muskogee; Senator Randy
Brogdon, R-Owasso; Senator Mike
Johnson, R-Kingfisher; Representative Jari
Askins, D-Duncan; Representative Jack
Bonny, D-Burns Flat; Representative Chris
Benge, R-Tulsa; and Representative Kevin
Calvey, R-Del City.
The committee meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Monday
in Room 419C at the Oklahoma State Capitol.
For more information, contact:
Senate
Communications Division
- (405) 521-5605
