The Governor shall submit to the General Assembly within five days after its conven...
Check the final answer first, then review the worked steps.
Problem
The Governor shall submit to the General Assembly within five days after its convening in regular session each year a budget message and a budget report, accompanied by a draft of a general appropriations bill, in such form and manner as may be prescribed by statute, which shall provide for the appropriation of the funds necessary to operate all the various departments and agencies and to meet the current expenses of the state for the next fiscal year. (b) The General Assembly shall not appropriate funds for any given fiscal year which... exceed a sum equal to the amount of unappropriated surplus expected to have accrued in the state treasury at the beginning of the fiscal year together w...
Answer
B
Step-by-step solution
- Analyze the provided text: The text describes the roles of the Governor and the General Assembly in the budget process. Specifically, it states that the Governor submits a budget message and draft appropriations bill, and the General Assembly appropriates funds. It also places a limitation on the amount the General Assembly can appropriate, ensuring it does not exceed anticipated revenue and surplus.
- Evaluate Option A: "The Governor passes and enforces his own budget." This is incorrect because the text states the Governor submits a draft and the General Assembly appropriates funds. The Governor does not have the sole power to pass and enforce the budget.
- Evaluate Option B: "The General Assembly creates, passes, and enforces its own budget." This aligns with the text. The text indicates the Governor submits a draft, and the General Assembly is responsible for appropriating funds, which implies creating and passing the budget. The enforcement aspect is also implied by the appropriation process.
- Evaluate Option C: "The budget is voted on and approved/disapproved by the voting public." The provided text does not mention any role for the voting public in approving or disapproving the budget. This process is handled by the Governor and the General Assembly.
- Evaluate Option D: "The General Assembly refuses to approve a budget that is not balanced." While the text implies a balanced budget by limiting appropriations to anticipated revenue and surplus, it does not explicitly state that the General Assembly must refuse to approve a budget that is not balanced. The primary function described is appropriation within certain limits.