§2604. Children's budget; preparation and submission

A. In adopting the children's budget annually, the cabinet shall hold such hearings and solicit and review such information and recommendations from affected agencies, including those represented on the Children's Cabinet, and programs and other sources as it shall find necessary. To the extent possible, the cabinet shall seek to establish agreement among and support by the affected agencies and programs with respect to the children's budget.

B. In reviewing the annual children's budget recommendations, the executive departments, agencies, and cabinet shall adhere, to the extent possible and reasonable, to the policy priorities as recommended to the Children's Cabinet by the Children's Cabinet Advisory Board that are considered, amended or adopted by the Cabinet.

C.(1) The division of administration shall create and update the Early Childhood System Integration Budget herein referred to as ECSIB. This ECSIB shall support and inform the work of the BrightStart initiative, Louisiana's commitment to young children ages zero to five with the goal to develop service systems integration and partnerships to enhance children's ability to enter school healthy and ready to learn.

(2) The ECSIB shall provide information needed to make informed decisions about Louisiana's early childhood systems. Specifically, the ECSIB shall assist policymakers to:

(a) Understand the amount and purpose of current spending on young children and trends over time, including how dollars are allocated to services and programs for young children and their families and the source of these funds.

(b) Identify gaps and unnecessary or duplicative spending.

(c) Nurture collaboration and partnerships among state entities pursuing similar goals or program objectives.

(d) Identify opportunities to increase investments in prevention and early intervention, as well as to blend and braid funds.

(e) Guide private sector spending for child and family services and supports.

(f) Determine the trend in spending for early childhood efforts.

(g) Determine how money is being allocated and spent in a manner consistent with stated early childhood goals.

(h) Design results-based accountability projects that align strategic plans, fiscal analyses, and desired early childhood outcomes.

(i) Identify opportunities to secure unmatched federal funding.

(3) The ECSIB shall not be organized by department but rather by one of the four early childhood system components:

(a) Access to health care.

(b) Social-emotional development and mental health.

(c) Early care and education.

(d) Family support and parenting education.

(4) Program and activity data from the children's budget shall be entered into one of the early childhood system component areas. Each budget item shall include the department and agency responsible for the program. The cabinet shall coordinate with the office of planning and budget in the division of administration to track changes in the children's budget throughout the fiscal year.

D. The governor's executive budget shall include the governor's recommended children's budget which shall be a compilation and listing of the recommended budgets contained in the various schedules of the executive budget for all departments, agencies, programs, and activities for children and their families.

E. The General Appropriation Act enacted by the legislature shall include the children's budget. This shall be a separate section of the Act which shall include a compilation and listing of all appropriations contained in the various schedules and appropriations in the Act which are for services and programs for children and their families as well as the cost estimates of all nonappropriated elements of the budget.

F. The cabinet will coordinate with the office of planning and budget in the division of administration to track changes in the children's budget throughout the fiscal year. The office of planning and budget in the division of administration shall designate an analyst with the responsibility to the children's budget.

G. The executive director of the Children's Cabinet will present the children's budget to the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Finance Committee during their review of the General Appropriation Bill.

Acts 1992, No. 971, §2; Acts 1998, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 5, §§2, 3, eff. April 24, 1998; Acts 2003, No. 245, §1, eff. June 5, 2003; Acts 2003, No. 1225, §6; Acts 2008, No. 774, §1.