PIERRE -- The 18 legislators who oversee state government's budget will take a broader and deeper look during the 2015 session that begins next month.
They want to know the goals of state departments and offices -- "What are you really attempting to do?" is how Sen. Phyllis Heineman, R-Sioux Falls, put it -- and they plan to give much more attention to the role of federal spending in providing state services.
The fiscal 2016 budget that Gov. Dennis Daugaard recommended Tuesday to the Legislature calls for $4,319,861,165 in revenue and spending with a workforce the equivalent of 14,008 full-time employees.
Of that amount, only $1,438,126,278 comes from general state tax revenues. The largest provider is the federal government at $1,679,165,435.
The remaining $1,202,569,452 comes from what are known as other funds, which cover a broad range but typically are dedicated for specific purposes, from camping fees for state parks to motor-fuel taxes for roads and bridges.
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The giant role of federal funding in South Dakota's state government and what Sen. Deb Peters, R-Hartford, called "the tide" in Congress on spending are why the appropriators want to know much more about how federal dollars are used and how much they cost.
For example, budget documents for a state program that receives federal funds now will have a column showing the federal-state match rate. That idea came Tuesday from Sen. Larry Tidemann, R-Brookings.
Sen. Jean Hunhoff, R-Yankton, said departments and offices need to provide metrics showing how they are accomplishing their goals.
The many procedural and accounting changes that Daugaard recommended Tuesday have legislators in both parties lining up their questions for appropriations hearings.
Rep. Jim Bolin, R-Canton, wants to know exactly what the 2 percent increase proposed for K-12 schools actually covers.
Rep. Scott Parsley, D-Madison, said the committee should find out what the governor's proposed repeal of interest pro-ration will accomplish and whether the results are worth the governor's estimated cost of $3.8 million for the change.
Rep. Fred Romkema, R-Spearfish, and Rep. Dick Werner, R-Huron, successfully suggested that for the benefit of first-time legislators and first-time committee members that the panel of 18 meet as a whole, rather than split into subcommittees as was done last year.
Werner said the subcommittee approach could be used during the second year of a two-year term after the first-timers have experienced a session.
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The Legislative Research Council fiscal staff will spend the next month preparing for a special meeting of the committee on Jan. 5-6. There will be technical briefings that afternoon and morning in advance of the session that opens Jan. 13.
