INTRODUCTION HOUSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS FISCAL YEAR 1995 BUDGET Section I of the budget contains the fundamentals of expenditures and funding; Section II describes the objectives and initiatives that are to be funded. Background and detail information is available from three appendices that relate to staffing, distribution, and allocation of resources. The appendices also provide descriptions of H.I.S. services and statistical information. Any explanation of an organization engaged in data processing and information technology is full of technical terms. Despite our attempts to minimize the use of computer jargon, much remains in the text. We have, therefore, included a glossary of terms. The pie charts on the opposite page show the authorized level of operations in FY 94 and the proposed operations level for FY 95 are virtually the same approximately $22.9 million. In FY 94, total funds available are anticipated to amount only to $19,875,000, the shortfall of $3,010,000 resulting from lower reimbursements than forecast. $1,297,000 of the shortfall is postponed to FY 95, and the remaining $1,713,000 is delayed indefinitely. The FY 95 budget comprises the base amount of $19,875,000 plus the $1,297,000 postponed from FY 94, plus workload/program changes, price level increases, and mandatory changes to bring the FY 95 operating level to $22,894,000. H.I.S. activities which were scaled back in FY 93 continue to be curtailed in FY 94 because of the budget constraints shared among all House entities. A large portion of H.I.S.'s non-personnel expense is allocated to the purchase of hardware and software to build an infrastructure of House data communications. These and other capital investments have been hurt by budget reductions. Nevertheless, these investments must be reinstated, albeit on a delayed basis. No increase in the current staffing level of 254 is requested, even though workload, particularly in the customer service area, will increase throughout FY 94 and FY 95. H.I.S. expects to be able to burden several technical and administrative positions with customer service functions. House-wide budget cuts have affected funding for H.I.S. operations on two fronts: H.I.S.'s direct appropriation, and reimbursement for services provided to Legislative H. I.S.'s appropriation has been limited along with everyone else's, but the effects of budget cuts on our reimbursing customers have reduced H.I.S. revenues as the customers curtail their use of H.I.S. services. Therefore, more of the burden of H.I.S. funding shifts to direct appropriation. BUDGET SUMMARY H.I.S.'s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 1995 (FY 95) is $22,894,000. The FY 95 budget categories are compared with FY 94 in the following table: The significant increases are in the equipment and software purchase categories, with slight increases in staff support and software rental costs. Reductions in the remaining budget categories effectively offset the increases. The pie charts below show the distribution of FY 94 and FY 95 budgets among the major object classes. |