An Act Requiring Long-range Budget Planning
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 1798
Committee: Appropriations and Financial Affairs
Sponsors: WOODBURY, TURNER, DUDLEY, MAILHOT, MILLETT, PINGREE, ROSEN, BRENNAN, DOUGLASS, ROTUNDO
Amends: 5 MRSA §1665, 5 MRSA §1666-B

Legislative Document 
No. 1798 
H.P.1320 
House of Representatives, December 22,2003 
An Act Requiring Long-range Budget Planning 
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
203. 
Received by the Clerk of the House on December 17, 2003. Referred to the Committee on 
Appropriations and Financial Affairs pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant 
to Joint Rule 401. 
Presented by Representative WOODBURY of Yarmouth. 
Cosponsored by Senator TURNER of Cumberland and 
/rl~1?1.1Jl~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: DUDLEY of Portland, MAILHOT of Lewiston, MILLETT of Waterford, 
PINGREE of North Haven, ROSEN of Bucksport, Senators: BRENNAN of Cumberland, 
DOUGLASS of Androscoggin, ROTUNDO of Androscoggin. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §1665, sub-§7, as repealed and replaced by PL 
1999, c. 127, Pt. A, §6 and affected by §7, is amended to read: 
7. 
General Fund and Highway Fund revenue and expenditure 
forecasts. 
By September 30th of each even-numbered year, 
the 
State Budget Officer shall prepare and deliver a report to the 
Governor, the Legislature and the joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over appropriations and financial 
affairs containing a forecast of revenue and expenditures for the 
following a:i:eaa:i:l:uR 
bienniums. 
The forecast must assume the 
continuation 
of 
current 
laws 
and 
include 
reasonable 
and 
predictable estimates of growth in revenues 
and expenditures 
based 
on 
national 
and 
local 
trends 
and 
program 
operations. 
General 
Fund 
and Highway 
Fund 
revenue must be forecasted by 
income 
source 
as 
provided 
in 
chapter 
l5l-B. 
Expendi ture 
forecasts for the General 
Fund and the Highway Fund must be 
forecasted on the basis of current law and assumed inflation 
variables related to program operations. 
The forecast for the 
General Fund and the Highway Fund.must be presented in a budget 
fund 
flow statement and 
a 
comparative statement showing each 
income source for revenue projections and expenditure estimates 
for each major program category. 
Sec. 2. 5 MRSA §1666-B is enacted to read: 
§1666-B. 
Long-range budget plan 
The Governor or the Governor elect, with the assistance of 
the State Budget Officer and based upon the forecast of revenue 
and expenditures prepared pursuant to section 1665, subsection 7, 
shall prepare 
a 
long range budget plan that encompasses 
the 
following 
bienniums. 
The 
plan 
must 
be 
submitted 
to 
the 
Legislature at the same time as the biennial budget required by 
section 1666. 
SUMMARY 
Current law requires the State Budget Officer to prepare a 
forecast 
of 
revenues 
and 
expenditures 
for 
the 
biennium 
immediately following 
the 
biennium in which the 
forecast is 
prepared. 
This bill extends the forecast to encompass the 
years following the current biennium and requires the Governor to 
use the forecast to develop a 
long-range budget plan for the 
following 3 bienniums. 
The plan is submitted by the Governor to 
the Legislature along with the regular biennial budget. 
Page l-LR2598(1)