Appropriating Funds or Not in California Bills

California bills can and do appropriate monies from the General Fund or special funds. In other bills, appropriations are specifically not made, even though they may otherwise be required by existing law.

Subject to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act for these purposes, the department shall provide new funding to target early childhood investments and whole child resources to help build infrastructure and strengthen local early childhood systems in the state’s highest needs communities, as identified by the equity screening tool.

This article shall be implemented upon an appropriation for these purposes.

This article shall be implemented subject to an appropriation by the Legislature for the purposes described in this article.

Upon appropriation by the Legislature, the Government Operations Agency shall establish the California Regional Initiative for Social Enterprises Program pursuant to this chapter for purposes of creating a statewide effort to support employment social enterprises in developing an inclusive workforce development system by providing targeted, specialized, trauma-informed employment services designed to serve individuals with barriers to employment.

This subdivision shall become operative on July 1, 2000, and shall be implemented only to the extent that funds are appropriated for its purposes in the Budget Act.

A superior court shall not be required to perform any duties imposed pursuant to this section until the Legislature makes an appropriation identified for this purpose.

Sometimes, the Legislature chooses not to appropriate any funds, such as an otherwise required reimbursement. For example, Revenue and Taxation Code Chapter 3 concerns the reimbursement of costs mandated by the state. In Section 2229, any exemption of property for purposes of property taxation that is enacted by the Legislature must be reimbursed by the state. Nonetheless, the Legislature can choose not to reimburse local governments for the lost revenue.

The following is an example of language a reader would find in a bill stating that no appropriation will be made despite the statutory language cited above:

Notwithstanding Section 2229 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, no appropriation is made by this act and the state shall not reimburse any local agency for any property tax revenues lost by it pursuant to this act.

There are numerous examples of appropriations in bills each legislative session. Slight differences in the language do not impact that the bills appropriate an amount or are dependent upon an amount being appropriated in a bill or in the budget.