9131

For any fiscal year ending during the effective term of this subchapter, the budget of the Judicial Branch shall be equal to its respective budget for the previous fiscal year, adjusted by the reduction percentage or global increase in the General Budget of Expenses chargeable to the General Fund, stated in the budget recommended by the Governor. Said adjustment percentage shall be calculated excluding the proposed appropriations to service the constitutional debt of the General Budget of Expenses chargeable to the General Fund, both on the basis of the previous year and on the recommended amount for the fiscal year under consideration. Likewise, said adjustment shall exclude from both basis for comparison the budgets of the Judicial Branch, the Legislative Assembly, the Office of the Comptroller, the Ombudsman, the Civil Rights Commission, the State Election Commission, the Office of Government Ethics, the Office of the Election Comptroller, and the Special Independent Prosecutor’s Panel.\nFor the fiscal year immediately beginning upon the expiration of the effective term of this subchapter, the recommendation and approval of the budget of the Judicial Branch shall be once again

anel.\nFor the fiscal year immediately beginning upon the expiration of the effective term of this subchapter, the recommendation and approval of the budget of the Judicial Branch shall be once again governed by the regularly applicable legislation. No debt, obligation, or pledge for future appropriations or payments whatsoever shall be issued for any gap existing between the budget actually appropriated during the effective term of this Act, and what would have been the budget resulting from the application of formulas or other rules established in the laws that would otherwise have governed the drawing up of the budget.\nThe Judicial Branch, in the exercise of the powers conferred thereto by the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, may adopt any of the spending reduction and/or control measures provided in this subchapter as may be necessary to address any budget deficit projected during the effective term of this Act.\nHistory —June 17, 2014, No. 66, § 24.