By Megan Miller, Editor
MONTGOMERY – Speaker of the House, Mac McCutcheon (R-Monrovia) and Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh (R-Anniston) announced the members of the Joint Task Force for Budget Reform on Friday.
The task force was created during the most recent special session by HJR62, and is tasked with reviewing the existing budgeting practices and making recommendations for improvement.
Rep. Danny Garrett (R-Trussville) and Sen. Clyde Chambliss (R-Pratville) were appointed to serve as co-chairs of the committee. The following have been appointed to serve:
Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Range)
- Sen. Linda Coleman- Madison (D- Birmingham)
- Sen. Bill Hightower (R-Mobile)
- Sen. Bill Holtzclaw (R-Madison)
- Sen. Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro)
- Sen. Phil Williams (R-Rainbow City)
- Rep. Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville)
- Rep. Allen Farley (R –McCalla)
- Rep. John Knight (D- Montgomery)
- Rep. Chris Pringle (R-Mobile)
- Rep. Kyle South (R-Fayette)
- Rep. Rich Wingo (R-Tuscaloosa)
The 14-member panel will consider several potential areas of reform, which include unearmarking, biennial budgeting, tax credits, deductions and exemptions and performance reviews or a “zero-based budgeting” approach to assessing state agencies. All of these tasks are laid out in HJR62.
“Our number one priority is addressing Alabama’s long-term budget challenges, and I believe this task force can bring forth the bold, innovative solutions we need to move forward,” McCutcheon said. “Working together with the Senate, I’m confident we can bring long-overdue reforms to the budgeting process and maximize the return on investment for Alabama’s taxpayers.”
Marsh said he is eager to begin the process of looking for long-term budget solutions.
“Alabama earmarks approximately 90 percent of every dollar that comes into the state. This earmarking cripples the Legislature’s ability to allocate money in the budget where it is most needed,” Marsh said. “I look forward to working with the members of this task force as we continue to reform and streamline state government to make it more efficient and accountable to the taxpayers.”
Garrett regularly works with issues involving complex and strategic financial matters,, and he said he wants state government to adopt a more business-minded approach to the way it budgets.
“As a CFO, I want this group to approach our work much like we would an analysis of any company or corporation, with a thorough look into each and every dollar so that we can identify any waste or mismanagement that exists and eliminate it,” Garrett said. “We have important work ahead of us, and I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to put forth commonsense solutions.”
Chambliss said timeliness of the group’s work is important.
“We are approaching fiscal problems in the next few years that will be tougher than those we have faced in the recent past. I want to stop reacting to issues on a yearly basis and be proactive about our financial future,” Chambliss said. “We need to make a plan that will work for years to come. These changes sometimes take several years to yield results so we must study, research, and act – soon.”
The task force must meet before September 30, and is required to hold monthly meetings thereafter. The group will report all findings, conclusions and recommendations to the full legislature at the beginning of the 2017 regular session.