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Proposed Rule in the House Would Limit Representation on Appropriations

February 13th, 2012

 

A new proposed rule in House Concurrent Resolution 33 would require that amendments to increase an appropriation bill simultaneously name an equal amount of cuts to another appropriation bill.   This rule is problematic and unnecessary.

• This rule would limit input from lawmakers who are not on the appropriations committees. By limiting amendments from the floor, the rule would limit debate on the committee’s version of the appropriations bill. Parts of the state without a legislator on the appropriations committees would not be represented in the appropriations process.
• The rule is unnecessary because the state already has a balanced budget requirement.
• A balanced budget should be negotiated while looking at the appropriations bills as a whole, not by pitting specific programs against one another.

In tough times, the budget needs to be flexible so that critical needs can be funded. Budgeting requires input and debate from all our elected officials.  Mississippi doesn’t need to create procedural impediments that would limit its budget’s flexibility.