19-4-1210. Revenues insufficient to meet appropriations.

19-4-1210. Revenues insufficient to meet appropriations. (a) The disbursements of funds shall be subject to the controls of the procedures authorized by this subchapter, other acts of the General Assembly, and rules established by the Department of Finance and Administration. (b) In the event that during any fiscal year the governmental revenues available to the state or a state agency are not sufficient to cover the appropriations made by the General Assembly from such revenues, then: (1) The bonded disbursing officer for each agency shall be responsible and held accountable for the incurring of any obligations and disbursements of any funds in behalf of the agency for which he or she acts as disbursing officer. It shall be his or her duty to keep advised as to the amount of governmental revenues available for the operation of his or her agency. Each such disbursing officer is prohibited from incurring any obligations in excess of the funds made available by this chapter and other laws providing revenues for any such agency, and all such disbursing officers shall be subject to the restrictions and limitations of this chapter; (2) The Chief Fiscal Officer of the State shall exercise the powers of his or her office to enforce the fiscal laws of the state to prohibit deficit spending and to promulgate rules which will require that all agencies comply with such fiscal laws. He or she may require, whenever he or she deems necessary, a financial report from any agency. If any such financial report or any other available information of any agency which has appropriated funds or an agency which has both state and bank funds shall reveal that the agency is in financial distress, then he or she may direct that all of the funds of the agency, including any bank funds, shall be subject to approval under the provisions of this chapter; (3) If during any year it is determined that the proposed disbursements exceed the amount approved for that year, then, upon direction of the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State, necessary reductions in proposed disbursements shall be made; (4) If, in accomplishing the necessary reductions in disbursements, it shall be required to reduce the salaries of employees, the reductions shall be made in proportion to existing salaries, and the reductions shall be made in the salaries of all employees, including administrators and directors; (5) The Chief Fiscal Officer of the State is directed to withhold all distributions of special and general revenues as prescribed in this chapter and in the Revenue Stabilization Law, § 19-5-101 et seq., at any time that a state agency fails to comply with the restrictive provisions of this chapter; and (6) It is provided that the creditors of any agency shall have first consideration in connection with disbursement of the funds of the agency. If the funds of any agency become depleted to an extent that the creditors cannot be paid from funds on hand or which will become available during the same fiscal year, the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State shall direct the agency to stop incurring obligations until the funds on hand and the funds estimated to become available are sufficient to meet all such obligations.