By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery, AL – A group of Republicans and Democrats have come up with a new set of bills to bring accountability to government and balance the state's troubled General Fund budget.
House Speaker Seth Hammett says two measures he expects to be introduced are ... The Accounting and Management Reform Act ... which would expand the duties of the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts to further examine organizations that receive state funds. The Act would also allow for intervention by state officials in an agency or organization that is thought to be misspending money.
Also Hammet expects to see a bill that would create a Revenue Consensus Forecasting Panel to provide revenue estimates to the governor and the Legislature. The governor and the Legislature would be bound to use those estimates in developing budgets. This bill would also create new "rainy day'' savings accounts for the education and General Fund budgets.
The proposals are expected to be introduced this week.