Appropriations
Description:
While the primary focus of state government public finance is the general fund, appropriations also are made using other state government funds. Total appropriations from all funds make up less than half of “total authorized spending.” Most of the funds that are not appropriated consist of federal funds, but monies from a variety of other sources, including lottery sales, are included.
Appropriations are approved by the Arizona Legislature before the beginning of each fiscal year, but adjustments to appropriations can be made during the year. Actual expenditures are essentially the same as the latest approved appropriations. The data are reported for fiscal years; for example, fiscal year 2012 runs from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012. An annual time series of appropriations from all funds are available back to fiscal year 1989 and include appropriations through the current fiscal year. The historical record for total authorized spending is much shorter.
In order to compare expenditures over time, the effects of inflation, population growth, and per capita economic growth must be considered. Reporting expenditures per $1,000 of personal income automatically adjusts for all three factors. The fiscal year average (the average of the four quarters of the fiscal year) of personal income is used to standardize the public finance data.
Data Source:
Expenditures are reported by the Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) http://www.azleg.state.az.us/jlbc.htm. The expenditure data are taken from the Appropriations Report; when released late in a fiscal year, the report includes revised appropriations for the current fiscal year and appropriations for the following fiscal year. The Appropriations Report is released several weeks after the budget has been passed by the Legislature and approved by the Governor.
Personal income is estimated quarterly by state by the U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis http://www.bea.gov/regional/sqpi/default.cfm?selTable=SQ1. It is released about three months after the end of the quarter; revisions to estimates for prior quarters are made every quarter.
Data Quality Comments:
Because of differences by state in accounting systems, the JLBC data are not comparable to those of any other state.
Some of the inputs to the calculation of personal income by state are estimated. Personal income estimates are subject to revision. Figures for the current fiscal year are projected. Personal income is a comprehensive measure of the economy but has conceptual limitations when employed to adjust public revenues and expenditures.
Appropriations and Authorized Spending Per $1,000 of Personal Income, Arizona State Government
Visualization Notes:
Since fiscal year (FY) 1998, general fund appropriations have accounted for 75-to-80 percent of the state’s total appropriations from all funds. Relative to the size of the Arizona economy, both general fund appropriations and total appropriations have declined since the early 1990s. The decrease in spending per $1,000 of personal income from FY 2002 through FY 2012 is 20 percent in the general fund and 15 percent in all funds.
Total authorized spending includes appropriations from all funds plus funding that is not appropriated, most of which consists of federal funds provided for specific purposes. General fund appropriations account for 32 percent, and total appropriations for 43 percent, of the total authorized spending for FY 2012.
Total Appropriations by Type Per $1,000 of Personal Income, Arizona State Government
Visualization Notes:
K-12 education and corrections receive little (5 percent or less) of total appropriations from other than the general fund. In contrast, appropriations from other funds in fiscal year 2012 constitute 24 percent of the total appropriations for health and welfare, 52 percent of the total for higher education, and 66 percent of the total for the remainder of state government. Nearly all of the appropriations for higher education from other than the general fund consist of tuitions and fees paid by students.
Relative to the size of the Arizona economy, total appropriations for health and welfare and for corrections have increased over time while the figure has fallen in the rest of state government. Between fiscal years 2002 and 2012, appropriations per $1,000 of personal income fell 21 percent for K-12 education, 17 percent for higher education, and 39 percent for other programs.
Data Source
Expenditures are reported by the Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) http://www.azleg.state.az.us/jlbc.htm. The expenditure data are taken from the Appropriations Report; when released late in a fiscal year, the report includes revised appropriations for the current fiscal year and appropriations for the following fiscal year. The Appropriations Report is released several weeks after the budget has been passed by the Legislature and approved by the Governor.
Personal income is estimated quarterly by state by the U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis http://www.bea.gov/regional/sqpi/default.cfm?selTable=SQ1. It is released about three months after the end of the quarter; revisions to estimates for prior quarters are made every quarter.
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