On or before November 15 preceding each regular session of the Legislature, except the first regular session of a new term of office, the Governor shall submit to the members of the Legislature, the Legislative Budget Office or the members-elect, as the case may be, and to the executive head of each state agency a balanced budget for the succeeding fiscal year. The budget submitted shall be prepared in a format that will include performance measurement data associated with the various programs operated by each agency. The total proposed expenditures in the balanced budget shall not exceed the amount of estimated revenues that will be available for appropriation or use during the succeeding fiscal year, including any balances other than unencumbered balances in general funds that will be on hand at the close of the then current fiscal year, as determined by the revenue estimate jointly adopted by the Governor and the Legislative Budget Committee. The total proposed expenditures from the State General Fund in the balanced budget shall not exceed ninety-eight percent (98%) of the amount of general fund revenue estimate for the succeeding fiscal year. However, for fiscal years 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016 and 2017 only, the total proposed expenditures from the State General Fund in the balanced budget shall not exceed one hundred percent (100%) of the amount of the general fund revenue estimate for the succeeding fiscal year, and for fiscal year 2018, the total proposed expenditures from the State General Fund in the balanced budget shall not exceed ninety-nine percent (99%) of the amount of general fund revenue estimate for the succeeding fiscal year. The general fund revenue estimate shall be the estimate jointly adopted by the Governor and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.

The revenues used in preparing the balanced budget shall be only those revenues that will be available under the general laws of the state as they exist when the balanced budget is prepared, and shall not include any proposed revenues that would become available only after the enactment of new legislation. If the Governor has any recommendations for additional proposed expenditures or proposed revenues that are not included in his balanced budget, he shall submit those recommendations in a supplement that is separate from his balanced budget, and whenever the Governor recommends any such additional proposed expenditures, he also shall recommend proposed revenues that are sufficient to fund the additional proposed expenditures, providing specific details regarding the sources and the total amount of those proposed revenues.

The Governor may employ a budget officer for the purpose of receiving information from the State Fiscal Officer and preparing his recommendations on the budget. If the Governor determines that information received from the State Fiscal Officer is not sufficient to enable him to prepare his budget recommendations, he may request an appropriation from the Legislature to provide additional staff within the Governor’s office for that purpose. At the first regular session after his election for Governor, the Governor shall submit any budget recommendations plus the required revenue source recommendations no later than January 31 of that year.