Chapter 29 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 6E the following section:-

Section 6F.  (a) There shall be an independent budgetary review board consisting of the following 5 members:  the attorney general or a designee; the state treasurer or a designee; the state secretary or a designee; the state auditor or a designee; and the inspector general or a designee. 

Three members of the board shall constitute a quorum, and the affirmative vote of 3 members of the board shall be necessary and sufficient for any action taken by the board. No vacancy in the membership of the board shall impair the right of a quorum to exercise all the rights and duties of the board.

The members of the board shall not be compensated for their membership on the board and shall not be considered state employees for purposes of chapter 268A by virtue of their membership on the board. 

(b) Not less than 60 days after the submission of the general appropriation bill by the governor to the general court pursuant to section 7H, the board shall assign a human impact score and a regional equity score pursuant to the procedures and criteria established by the board pursuant to subsection (c) for: (i) each line item appropriation recommended in the general appropriation bill submitted by the governor pursuant to said section 7H that is less or more than the line item appropriation contained in the general appropriation act enacted by the general court for the previous fiscal year, regardless of the governor’s disapproval or reduction of that item pursuant to section 5 of Article LXIII of the Amendments to the Constitution; and (ii) each line item appropriation included in the general appropriation act enacted by the general court for the previous fiscal year, regardless of the governor’s disapproval or reduction of that item pursuant to section 5 of Article LXIII of the Amendments to the Constitution, that was omitted from the general appropriation bill submitted by the governor pursuant to said section 7H.

(c) The board shall establish procedures and criteria for the assignment of human impact scores and regional equity scores provided that: (i) the human impact score shall be designed to assess the extent of the impact that a recommended reduction or increase to a line item will have on the individuals who are directly impacted by or reliant on the services or programs funded by that line item; and; (ii)  the regional equity score shall be designed to assess the extent of the impact that a recommended reduction or increase to a line item will have on a specific county of the commonwealth.

(d) The board shall submit a report containing the human impact scores and regional equity scores assigned pursuant to subsection (b) to the clerks of the house of representatives and senate, the chair of the house committee on ways and means and the chair of the senate committee on ways and means, not less than 60 days after the submission of the general appropriation bill by the governor to the general court pursuant to section 7H.