Capital construction bill

# (a)

When the capital budget has been submitted by the Governor to the General Assembly, it shall immediately be referred to the House Committee on Corrections and Institutions, which shall proceed to consider the budget request in the context of the 10-year capital program plan also submitted by the Governor pursuant to sections 309 and 310 of this title. The Committee shall also propose to the General Assembly:

# (1)

a prudent amount of total general obligation bonding for the following fiscal year, for support of the capital budget, in consideration of the recommendation of the Capital Debt Affordability Advisory Committee pursuant to chapter 13, subchapter 8 of this title; and

# (2)

recommendations for capital projects that may be paid for from the Cash Fund for Capital and Essential Investments, established in section 1001b of this title.

# (b)

As soon as possible, the Committee shall prepare a bill to be known as the “capital construction bill,” which shall be introduced for action by the General Assembly.

# (c)

The spending authority authorized by a capital construction act shall carry forward until expended, unless otherwise provided.

# (1)

All unexpended funds remaining for projects authorized by capital construction acts enacted in a legislative session that was two or more years prior to the current legislative session shall be reported to the General Assembly and may be reallocated in future capital construction acts.

# (2)

Notwithstanding subdivision (1) of this subsection, any amounts appropriated in a previous capital construction act that are unexpended for at least five years shall be reallocated to future capital construction acts.

# (d)

# (1)

On or before November 15 each year, the Commissioner of Finance and Management shall require each entity to which spending authority has been authorized by a capital construction act enacted in a legislative session that was two or more years prior to the current legislative session to submit a report on the current fund balances of each authorized project with unexpended funds. The report shall include plans for the unexpended funds, any projects or contracts the funds are assigned to, and an anticipated timeline for expending the funds.

# (2)

On or before the third Tuesday of every annual session, the Commissioner of Finance and Management shall submit in a consolidated format the reports required by subdivision

(1) of this subsection to the House Committee on Corrections and Institutions and the Senate Committee on Institutions.

# (e)

The provisions of 2 V.S.A. § 20(d) (expiration of required reports) shall not apply to the reports to be made under subsections (c) and (d) of this section. (