Evening star., 1948-12-06
Maryland Gets
BudgetRequests
OF 0f145MiI|ion
Lane Pledged to Use
DoubIe-B Ak
In SIoshine OutIoys
This Is the first OF tpo ar
ticles dealing NTH the Maryland
budget and holU it is depeloped.)
By Whitney Shoemaker
Associoted Press stoff Writer

ANNAPOLIS, Dec. eff every
State agency got all the money it:
asking for. Maryland would spenc
something like s145 100000 of hel
taxpayers money in the 1850 fisca
year.
Nor does it take into account al.
most s14,000000 expected from the
Federal Government for building
roads, helping people on relief anc
.other purposes
And it excludes anywhere from
s3OOOO,OOO to $5O,oOO.o 900 which State
institutions want for capital i'm
provements-new buildings, mod
ernization and so forth. This money
would be raised by bond issues.
Budget Bureau officials estimate
that when all State Offices have sub.
mitted their requests for genera
funds, the total will be close tt
$85 100000. It's almost that now.
Far Exceeds Previous Rate.
The Bureau of Revenue Estimates
latest guess is that special fune
revenues from sources within the
State-earmarked for operating ex'
penses-will amount to almos
s60,O0o,0O0.
Add together the two estimates
and you have a budget for Mary
land from July l, l949, to June 80
1850, that falls just a few dollar'
short Of $145 100000.
This compares with an orlglna
budget for the current biennium O
s2l8O0O,OO0. The voters scrappee
the biennial budget procedure las
month when they approved a con-
stitutional amendment calling FOL
annual sessions of the General AS
sembly. In other words, unless
budget request are trimmed tne
/ Free State budget for one flsca
wear. 1850, would be 81 per cent o.
what the legislature approved 1ol
both 1948 and 1949.
II would be 80 per cent greater
than the two-year budget adopted
In 1943.
Governor in Drivers Seat.
There is little chance for that Il
happen. Budget requests are IN 10
more than a trimming. Gov. LAM
has promised they'll be attacked
with a double e-bitted ak"
He is in the drivers seat, too, 1ol
MARYLAND fashions its budgets un
der the executive" plan. This give:
the Governor the most, if not tht
final say about how much cash Il
spend each year.
The constitution provides for tht
executive system. which an author
itv on such matters explains l.
the most popular in the Unlteo
States. :,
To do the groundwork for such
q gigantic project, Maryland fur
nishes it's Governors with the De-
partment of Budget and Procure
ment
Each State agency goes over Its
needs, decides how much money II
wants and submits request to the
budget department. At that point
Director James G. Rennie, James
P. Slicher, chief of the budget
bureau. and their lieutenants pre-
pare tables comparing the amount
sought with what has been ap-
propriated any actually spent fol
the same functions in years past.
General Funds Stir Wrangles.
Most of the wrangling is oVel
general funds. These are raised b,
general imposts, such as the sale:
and income taxes Whatever they
bring in is spread among institu-
tions and agencies to meet payro1s
and operating expenses.
Special funds are different. They
now into the treasury through
specific taxes for specific purposes
The ent-per-gallon gasoline tax
for instance, produces funds fol
building roads.
Departments which pay their way
&ith special funds don't ask for sc
much money. With the help OF the
Board of Revenue Estimates, they
calculate how much their particula
source of revenue will produce tr
the next year and plan expenditures
accordingly.
Legislators Can Cut Outlays.
Their budgets also come under
executive scrutiny and must bt
charted in line with administration
policy. In 1947, the Governor anc
the Roads Commission pressed fol
and got a penny boost in the gaSo'
line tax, because funds anticipated
from the old Accent levy did MOI
seem adequate for the highway pro.
gram they had in mind.
The law says a Governor mus
submit his budget to the Genera
Assembly not later than 20 days
after 1t convenes. The only excep.
ton is for newly inaugurated Gov.
ernor, who has an extra 10 days.
What happens then is up to the
legislators. They may reduce ap.
propriations recommended, but can.
not increase them. Neither can they
lay a hand on the current salary o.
an officer holder, although they ma!
set new rate for his next term.
The House Ways and Mean
Committee and the Senate Finance
Committee may ask department
heads to justify their requests
Later they report to their respective
houses. A majority of the entir'
General Assembly must assent be
fore the budget becomes law.
"No Real Fight" Recalled.
One official who has been on tn
inside of fiscal affairs for years say
he recalls no real budget fight"
Even Republican Gov. Nice. will
O Democratic Legislature, had n
,, drastic problem in getting hi
budget approved" he said. III
most cases, a Governor has les
trouble in his first year. He seem
to have more control over the Gen
eral Assembly, which is likely to
: more rambunctious in later ses