B

Back Pay Awards
Wages paid to an employee as determined by the Merit System Board or other legal decision.

Balanced Budget
A budget in which proposed expenditures do not exceed actual and estimated revenues and surplus. The State Constitution requires the Governor to propose a balanced budget and prohibits the appropriation of funds in excess of actual and estimated revenue and surplus

Beginning Balance
The resources available at the start of a state fiscal year that are carried over from the prior fiscal year

Bill
A proposed law.

Block Grant
An amount allotted by the Federal government to the State to be allocated to a particular program area within general guidelines as the State determines

Bond
A funding tool representing a written promise to pay a specific sum of money in the future plus interest

Bond Fund
A fund into which the proceeds from the issuance of bonds are received, and from which all proper expenditures for the purposes for which the bonds were authorized are paid

Budget
The proposed financial plan of the State government for the fiscal year, setting forth the anticipated resources from all sources and proposed appropriations

Budget Cycle
The four major phases that constitute the traditional budget cycle: (1) central and agency planning, (2) agency/executive preparation, (3) legislative review, and (4) execution and evaluation

Budget Request The request, required by law, of each spending agency for an appropriation or permission to spend during the next ensuing fiscal year