Budget Commissions

permanently functioning commissions of higher and local agencies of authority formed to consider the state budget. In the socialist countries they review drafts of national economic plans, budgets, and other legislative documents on financial questions, as well as review reports on the execution of the state budget and fulfillment of the national economic plan. In the USSR, budget commissions are formed by the houses of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, by the supreme soviets of the Union and autonomous republics, and by local soviets of working people’s deputies from the deputies of the corresponding agencies of state power. The budget commissions of the Soviet of the Union and the Soviet of Nationalities review drafts of the plan for development of the national economy and the state budget of the USSR submitted by the government of the USSR for ratification by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the report on execution of the budget for the preceding year, and proposals for changing the state budget of the USSR coming from USSR ministries and departments and other bodies. They develop drafts of USSR laws and ukases on budget and financial questions and hear statements and reports by the directors of the USSR ministries and departments and the Councils of Ministers of the union republics on questions of budget execution and also reports by the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions on the budget of the state social insurance system. In 1967 the USSR budget commissions were renamed plan-budget commissions.

In capitalist countries the budget commissions (in some countries budget-control or financial commissions) are permanent commissions of the parliaments, consisting of members of parliament and outside experts. The functions of the commissions include preliminary consideration of drafts of the budget and financial legislation submitted by the government for ratification by parliament as well as the monitoring of the execution of the budget.