Legislative leaders on Monday introduced bills to extend the deadline for the governor’s annual budget message to no later than March 23. (State House sources indicate the address will likely take place on March 21.)

Normally, the governor presents his budget recommendations to the Legislature on or before the fourth Tuesday in February. However, in their first year in office, new governors have traditionally been granted extensions, so their administrations can assess the state’s revenues and expenditures.

A-2288 was introduced by Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts. The Senate version, S-1253, is sponsored by Senator Wayne Bryant, Budget and Appropriations Committee chairman, and Senator Robert Littell, minority budget officer.

In an interview with Associated Press published last weekend, Governor Corzine listed “introducing a balanced budget to the legislature by mid-March” as one of his key priorities during the first 100 days of his administration. (Other items on his short-term agenda include “finding money to fund school construction in the state’s poorest districts.”)

State Aid Figures  Statute ties the release of school district state aid figures to the date of the governor’s budget message. N.J.S.A. 18A:7F-5 requires the state Department of Education to notify each district of their state aid amounts within two days following the budget address. In years when the governor’s budget message has been delayed, the state Department of Education has issued directives to school districts concerning state aid revenues and other budget-development procedures.

Cap Not Known  A key element still missing is the 2006-07 spending growth limitation, or budget cap. Current law places the cap at the greater of 2.5% or the rate of inflation. In previous years, the Department of Education notified school districts of the budget cap by late fall. That notification has yet to take place.