AN ACT PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE VIII, § 6 OF THE DELAWARE CONSTITUTION RELATING TO LIMITING THE ANNUAL GROWTH OF EXPENDITURES IN THE STATE OPERATING BUDGET.

This legislation, the State Spending Accountability Amendment, is the first leg of a constitutional amendment that would reform the state budgeting process. This amendment would continue the Budget Stabilization Fund, established in 2018 under Executive Order 21, issued by Governor John Carney. It also seeks to continue the state Benchmark Index and state Benchmark Appropriation, established by the same executive order, which will expire at the end of the Carney administration in January 2025. This amendment would further hold the General Assembly accountable for responsibly managing state spending growth by instituting new protocols. It would create the 8-member Budget Accountability Review Commission (BARC) and establish a set of procedures to ensure the state operating budget complied with the state Benchmark Index and state Benchmark Appropriation. These benchmarks could be exceeded when extraordinary circumstances presented themselves.