Juneau -- The Senate Finance Committee today heard legislation to restore results-based budget measures vetoed last year by the governor.

Senate Bill 49, "Mission Statements for FY 99 Budget," was introduced Thursday as the latest step in the Senate Republicans' effort to implement results-based budgeting. Results-based budgeting is the practice of establishing objective performance measures for state agencies, so lawmakers can evaluate how effectively these agencies are spending state money.

"We believe each state program should have clearly defined missions, clearly expressed results, and clearly understood measures so that what gets measured gets done," said Senator Sean Parnell, Co-Chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

Last year, the Legislature passed the "Results-Based Government Act," sponsored by Senator Parnell, allowing the Legislature to establish missions and measures. The Legislature then drew on this law to include intent language in the FY 1999 budget bill.

However, Governor Tony Knowles line-item vetoed all sections of last year's budget bill implementing the measures, voicing technical objections to the inclusion of intent language in a budget bill. SB 49 represents the Legislature's effort to help overcome the governor's objections, while still working with the administration to make state government more effective and accountable.

"SB 49 will enable the budget subcommittees to point back at substantive law, and hold agencies accountable for results that were jointly negotiated, and agreed to by the various departments during last year's budget process," said Senate President Drue Pearce. "Our intent is to make sure the results we were trying to achieve on behalf of Alaskans do not get separated from the money the Legislature appropriates."