Evening star., 1951-11-14
State
BudgetSystem
Called Sense|ess
Investigators Believe
Assembly Has Lost
Control of Finances
BY the Associoted Press

BALTIMORE, Nov. IA group
Iof investigators said today you
can't make any sense out of a
Maryland State budget.
The result. they said. is that
many of the States legislators feel
the General Assembly has lost
control of Maryland's financial
affairs.
A commission named to study
methods of streamlining the
States government-it is ia
miliarly known as the Sobeloff
Commission-scrutinized the budg-
et-making practices.
It laid it's findings and some
Recommendations before the Mary
land legislative council today.
One of the principal recommen-
dations would change even the
bookkeeping system used to set
up a budget. The voters will have
to pass a constitutional amend
ment before this could be changed.
Must Eliminate Confusion.
The important thing, the COM
mission said, is to eliminate the
confusion of budgets, supplement
tai budgets. special funds, general
funds, capital improvement pro-
grams, bond issues-to get an or
derly financial picture before the
Legislature in one package.
It said that the departments Of
the State government which take
in money should turn it all over
to the State treasury and then get
appropriations from the Legisla-
ture to cover their expenses. Such
Income is now handled as special
funds" Many departments which
collect them get authority from
the Legislature to turn right
around and spend them.
For example, the University Of
Maryland expects to take in about
SO million in special funds next
year-board and room payments.
library and laboratory fees, and
other charges placed on students.
The University, under the pres
lent system, spends these funds
under kind of general authors
zation and then gets millions more
in general funds" through q
legislative appropriation.
Underestimate Reported.
Commission members have
been told some agencies consis-
: tently underestimate the funds to
, be received" the report said.
4 1t pointed out that if an agency
underestimate its special funds
Income it can make plea that it
, needs more general funds.
Then, when it gets more special
!, funds than it said it would, it can
shunt this money into something
:. like a new building that it wanted
but couldn't get capital improve
ment funds for.
. The commission also observed
that the supplemental budget"
system has been abused.
Early in each legislative session,
the Governor must submit bud
y get to the Legislature. Late in
the session, he comes through
e with a supplemental budget.
Frequently" the commission
said. "a Governor can be per-
suaded to include items in a sup
4 Elemental budget which have not
: been subjected to careful scrutiny.
e $50 some departments deliber-
ately neglect to make requests in
time for the initial budget.
r Becomes Bargaining Device.
S 'The commission has been ad-
0 vised the supplemental budget has
0 become a bargaining device be-
S tween the Legislature and the ex-
2 ecutive."
! The commission recommended
'that the supplemental budget be
used only to correct errors or pay
for things which the Legislature
l. authorizes after it passes the main
budget.
All departments would have to
submit budgets by September is
: fer the fiscal year which starts
the next July.
The commissioner of moter
: vehicles should show how much it
:. will cost him to test drivers for
J. operator permits, and how much it
: will cost him to keep permanent
!. records of these permits, or how
:. much it will cost him to issue
!. license tags for automobiles and
). trucks.
= A budget based on the cost Of
o each function rather than a COM
pilation of employees. equipment
). and supplies. will give every one
s a better idea of where the money
e goes and where it's needed, the
commission said.