ICYMI: Rep. Isakson Introduces Biennial Budgeting Bill

Rep. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga, writes at the Ripon Forum:

“Over the last 37 years, since 1980, Congress has passed all 12 annual appropriations bills on time only twice. Too often, the current appropriations process results in a chaotic spending spree each fall when both chambers wind up hastily passing a temporary funding measure up against an end-of-the-fiscal-year deadline to avoid a government shutdown. This is no way to run a business, and it is no way to run the government.

“To help achieve a more efficient and effective Washington that would also tackle the core drivers of our debt, we need to change the system by which Congress appropriates federal dollars because the current process is clearly not working. I have introduced legislation that would move the federal appropriations process to a system known as biennial budgeting.

“Biennial budgeting is a commonsense concept that has been endorsed by both Republican and Democratic presidents and by numerous federal budget experts. Its value is proven daily in the 19 states where it is currently in use.

“U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., has worked with me to advance the Biennial Budgeting and Appropriations Act, S.306, because she has seen the results firsthand as governor of a state where it has operated with great success….”

Read more at http://www.riponsociety.org/article/biennial-budgeting-a-positive-idea-for-americas-bottom-line/