SJR9 – Expenditure limitation constitutional amendment
COMMITTEE:
SJR9 proposes an amendment to the Iowa Constitution that creates a state General Fund expenditure limitation requirement to be used for establishing a General Fund budget for a subsequent fiscal year. The proposed expenditure limitation would be the lesser of these two options:
- 99 percent of the adjusted revenue estimate established by the Revenue Estimating Conference (REC) for the next fiscal year.
- The net revenue estimate for the current fiscal year increases by 4 percent.
This resolution is similar to Iowa’s current 99 percent expenditure limitation in Iowa Code. There are two differences from current law. Current law does not include the alternative adjusted revenue estimate calculation that includes the increases to the current fiscal year by 4 percent. In addition, the current law allows the balance from the previous year’s surplus, after the reserved funds are fulfilled, to carry forward to the next fiscal year and be added to the expenditure limitation. SJR9 does not calculate the carry forward surplus into the expenditure limitation.
SJR 9 requires the Legislature to enact legislation to implement the provisions of the constitutional amendment after it is ratified by Iowa voters. A constitutional amendment is required to pass to two General Assemblies before being ratified by the Iowa voters.
[3/14: 17-4 (all Republicans plus Danielson, Hart, Mathis, Ragan voting “yes”; Bolkcom, Boulton, Dotzler, McCoy “no”)