The director of budget and management shall prepare and submit to the governor, biennially, not later than the first day of January preceding the convening of the general assembly, state budget estimates of revenues and expenditures for each state fund and budget estimates for each state agency, except such estimates as are required under section 126.022 of the Revised Code. The budget estimates for each state agency for which direct appropriations are proposed shall include the following details:

(A) Estimates of the operating budget;

(B) Estimates of the subsidy appropriations necessary, delineated by a distinct subsidy program;

(C) Estimates for special purposes, delineated by a distinct special purpose program;

(D) Estimates of appropriations necessary from each fund in reasonable detail to allow for adequate planning and oversight of programs and activities.

In the preparation of state revenue and expenditure estimates, the director of budget and management shall, not later than the fifteenth day of September in the year preceding the first regular session of the general assembly, distribute to all affected state agencies the forms necessary for the preparation of budget requests, which shall be in the form prescribed by the director in consultation with the legislative service commission to procure information concerning the revenues and expenditures for the preceding and current bienniums, an estimate of the revenues and expenditures of the current fiscal year, and an estimate of the revenues and proposed expenditures for the respective agencies for the two succeeding fiscal years for which appropriations have to be made. Each such agency shall, not later than the first day of November, file with the director its estimate of revenues and proposed expenditures for the succeeding biennium.

Each such agency shall, not later than the first day of December, file with the chairperson of the finance committees of the senate and house of representatives and the legislative service commission a duplicate copy of such budget request.

The budget request shall be accompanied by a statement in writing giving facts and explanation of reasons for the items requested. The director and the legislative service commission may make further inquiry and investigation as to any item desired. The director may approve, disapprove, or alter the requests, excepting those for the legislative and judicial branches of the state. The requests as revised by the director constitute the state budget estimates of revenues and expenditures which the director is required to submit to the governor.

The director shall determine a method to incorporate the principles of zero-based budgeting into the forms prescribed in this section.

Effective Date: 09-19-2002; 06-05-2006.