A state agency must report certain expenditure reduction plans to the board, and the board must hold a public hearing before the agency may implement any part of the plan.
Sec. 322.022. PUBLIC HEARING ON INTERIM BUDGET REDUCTION REQUEST. (a) In this section: (1) "Interim budget reduction request" means a request communicated in any manner for a state agency to make adjustments to the strategies, methods of finance, performance measures, or riders applicable to the agency through the state budget in effect on the date the request is communicated that, if implemented, would reduce the agency's total expenditures for the current state fiscal biennium to an amount less than the total amount that otherwise would be permissible based on the appropriations made to the agency in the budget. (2) "State agency" means an office, department, board, commission, institution, or other entity to which a legislative appropriation is made. (b) A state agency shall provide to the board a detailed report of any expenditure reduction plan that: (1) the agency develops in response to an interim budget reduction request made by the governor, the lieutenant governor, or a member of the legislature, or any combination of those persons; and (2) if implemented, would reduce the agency's total expenditures for the current state fiscal biennium to an amount less than the total amount that otherwise would be permissible based on the appropriations made to the agency in the state budget for the biennium. (c) The board shall hold a public hearing to solicit testimony on an expenditure reduction plan a state agency reports to the board as required by Subsection (b) as soon as practicable after receiving the report. The agency may not implement any element of the plan until the conclusion of the hearing. (d) This section does not apply to an expenditure reduction a state agency desires to make that does not directly or indirectly result from an interim budget reduction request made by the governor, the lieutenant governor, or a member of the legislature, or any combination of those persons. Added by Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., 1st C.S., Ch. 4 (S.B. 1), Sec. 34.03, eff. September 28, 2011.