Budget scrutiny is a must

Gov. Kevin Stitt has stressed the importance of reviewing the entire state budget, not just the portion handled directly through legislative appropriations. Recent supplemental requests from several agencies show why Stitt is right to make credible budget review a priority. Among the agencies seeking a supplemental appropriation for the current fiscal year is the Department of Career and Technology Education, which wants an additional $11.8 million to fund the medical insurance flexible benefit allowance for employees at career technology centers. The agency has been required to pay for those benefits since 2004 but agency officials say lawmakers haven't covered the full cost through appropriations since 2009. This year, benefits are expected to cost $25.4 million, but CareerTech officials say only $13.6 million was directly appropriated for that purpose. Now the Department of Career and Technology Education is seeking another $11.8 million to make up the difference. But the department's funding includes more than legislative appropriations. The agency also receives federal funding and has revolving accounts and agency special accounts that significantly boost its total budget. And it gets local property tax revenue. The governor's executive proposal for the 2020 budget year includes historical data on most agencies. That document shows total funding at the Department of Career and Technology Education is $170.2 million this year, the highest total at the agency in at least six years (although the 2015 budget came close). The $170.2 million for 2019 is significantly more than the $139.9 million recorded for 2018. Thus, it's reasonable to ask if the department faces a true budget emergency requiring a supplemental appropriation. Agency officials admit they have been able to cover insurance costs since 2009 without appropriated funds designated solely for that expense. They argue that money spent on benefits is money that won't be going to the classroom, but this is also true of any supplemental funding provided to the agency. And there's been little notable negative impact from this practice over the last decade. That may be one reason lawmakers have rejected similar supplemental requests from the agency in recent years. Regardless of whether the Department of Career and Technology Education successfully makes its case for a supplemental, lawmakers need to conduct serious budget review that includes scrutinizing agencies' entire budgets, not just a portion. And they should do so for every agency. Last year's budget fiasco at the Department of Health, which resulted in an “emergency” appropriation of $30 million that officials later learned was never needed, highlights what has been a lack of serious budget oversight at the Capitol. Stitt's focus on reviewing all agency spending is a good first step to prevent a potential reoccurrence of that scandal.