Monday, January 04, 2010
Editorial: Shift Virginia's budget cycle
Beginning the two-year cycle in odd-numbered years would ease gubernatorial transitions.
From the RoundTable blog
Read the latest entries
Republican governor-elect Bob McDonnell does not like Virginia's budget cycle. Neither, for that matter, does outgoing Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine nor anyone else who has thought much about it. It is time for a change.
An odd quirk of the Virginia Constitution gives governors a firm budget grip for only two of their four years in office. Consider McDonnell's coming term.
Kaine has already submitted a budget blueprint for the next two years. Even if McDonnell and the General Assembly choose to overhaul it, they must start from Kaine's proposal, and almost certainly some parts of it will survive.
In 2012, McDonnell will get to write his own budget and shepherd it as best he can through the General Assembly.
Then, in 2014, as he leaves office, he will put his second budget in the hands of his successor.
Only the middle budget will belong to him and him alone.
This plays out every four years in a state that forbids sitting governors from seeking re-election. Such discontinuity serves Virginians poorly, especially in years like this one when the incoming governor's political priorities differ substantially from his predecessor's.
What McDonnell therefore proposes is shifting everything by one year. An incoming governor would take office in the middle of a budget cycle and would not wade into a budget battle on day one. Instead, he would have a full year to learn the ropes. Then, he would propose two budgets and work with lawmakers to pass both. At the same time, he would not have to share the accolades for a successful spending plan nor could he spread the blame for a failed one.
Lawmakers would also benefit, at least the freshmen delegates who take office at the same time as the governor. They, too, could use a year to get used to working with their colleagues before facing a full-on budget debate.
There are a few technicalities to work out in all of it. Most notable is the constitutionality. The General Assembly meets for 60 days in even-numbered years but only 45 days in odd-numbered years. The additional time allows them to work on the budget.
Lawmakers could extend their sessions during odd-numbered years, but the cleaner method would be with a constitutional amendment. Ideally, the amendment would simply reverse those numbers. What it should not do is only lengthen the session in odd-numbered years without shortening the even-numbered ones. Lawmakers do not need more time in Richmond to cause trouble.
This could be an especially good year for change. With the revenue forecast grim but still in flux, the numbers might be significantly different in a year.
McDonnell sums it up well when he calls his proposal "a non-partisan recommendation that will ensure a much more orderly budget process." It deserves bipartisan support in the assembly.
