Mont. Code Ann. § 17-7-112

Submission deadlines – budgeting schedule

The following is the schedule for the preparation of a state budget for submission to the legislature convening in any session that will be adopting a state budget:

(1) By August 1, forms necessary for preparation of budget estimates must be distributed pursuant to 17-7-111(2).

(2) (a) Except as provided in subsection (2)(b), by September 1, each agency shall submit the information required under 17-7-111 to the budget director.

(b) By September 1, the consolidated legislative branch shall submit a preliminary draft of the information required under 17-7-111 to the budget director. By October 10, the consolidated legislative branch shall submit the information required under 17-7-111 in final form to the budget director.

(3) By September 1, the budget director shall submit each state agency's budget request, except the budget request for the consolidated legislative branch, required under 17-7-111(3) to the legislative fiscal analyst. The transfer of budget information must be done on a schedule mutually agreed to by the budget director and the legislative fiscal analyst in a manner that facilitates an even transfer of budget information that allows each office to maintain a reasonable staff workflow.

(4) By October 10, the budget director shall furnish the legislative fiscal analyst with a preliminary budget reflecting the base budget in a format agreed upon by both the office of budget and program planning and the legislative fiscal analyst.

(5) By October 30, a budget request must be prepared by the budget director and submitted to the legislative fiscal analyst on behalf of any agency that did not present the information required by this section. The budget request must be based upon the budget director's studies of the operations, plans, and needs of the institution, university unit, or agency.

(6) By November 1, the budget director shall furnish the legislative fiscal analyst with a present law base for each agency and a copy of the documents that reflect the anticipated receipts and other means of financing the base budget and present law base for each fiscal year of the ensuing biennium. The material must be in a format agreed upon by both the office of budget and program planning and the legislative fiscal analyst.

(7) By November 12, the budget director shall furnish the legislative fiscal analyst with the documents, in a format agreed upon by both the office of budget and program planning and the legislative fiscal analyst, that reflect expenditures to the second level, as provided in 17-1-102(3), by funding source and detailed by accounting entity.

(8) By November 15, the proposed pay plan schedule and the statewide project budget summary required by 17-7-111(4), a preliminary budget that meets the statutory requirements for submission of the budget to the legislature, and a summary of the preliminary budget designed for distribution to members and members-elect of the legislature must be submitted to the legislative fiscal analyst.

(9) By December 15, the budget director shall submit a preliminary budget to the governor and to the governor-elect, if there is one, as provided in 17-7-121, and shall furnish the legislative fiscal analyst with all amendments to the preliminary budget.

(10) By January 7, recommended changes proposed by a governor-elect must be transmitted to the legislative fiscal analyst and the legislature as provided in 17-7-121.