Politics & Government

Georgia Senate Approves Zero-Budgeting Bill

Sen. Shafer's bill would help legislators be better stewards of budget

The Georgia Senate Tuesday (March 1) unanimously approved Senate Bill 33 introduced by State Sen. David Shafer (R-Duluth), the Georgia Senate Press Office announced. The bill moves Georgia's state government to a system of zero-based budgeting. 

"This bill will give the General Assembly valuable tools to identify and eliminate wasteful spending," Shafer said. "It will help us be better stewards of the budget." 

Expenditures approved in prior years are routinely rolled over into the next year's budget under a single line-item identified only as "continuation" under Georgia's current system of budgeting. Shafer’s bill would require one-fourth of the state budget to be rebuilt from scratch each year so that the entire budget is justified over a governor’s four-year term.

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In passing Shafer’s bill, the Senate unanimously approved a floor amendment that the legislator said was suggested by the governor’s office and would ease the transition to zero-based budgeting.

The Senate has approved zero-based budgeting bills four times in the past eight years, according to the announcement. Senate Bill 1 unanimously passed the Senate and House last year before being vetoed by then Gov. Sonny Perdue. The Senate overrode Perdue's veto at the beginning of the 2011 session, and Shafer introduced the new zero-based budgeting bill after the House referred the veto override to committee.

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Editor’s note: State Sen. David Shafer serves as chairman of the Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee. He represents the 48th Senate District, which is comprised of portions of Fulton and Gwinnett counties. The district includes the cities of Duluth and Berkeley Lake in Gwinnett County and Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Milton in Fulton County. He was first elected to the Georgia Senate in 2002.


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