§ 35-25-107 — Program expenditures; monitoring; recommendations; required action to limit expenditures to budget available

(a) The department shall project monthly expenditures
under this act each month through the end of the biennium based
upon the level of activity for the previous months and the trend
in expenditures compared to previous expenditures. If the
projections indicate that expenditures may exceed the federal
and state funds available under this act, the department, may,
by rule and regulation and subject to availability of funds,
limit participation in the program under this section as
follows:
(i) The department may impose a partial or total
moratorium on new enrollments in the programs under this act
until funds are available to meet the needs of new enrollees;
(ii) For current recipients of benefits under this
act, priority for the continuation of funding shall be given to
those families with the lowest incomes.
(b) In the last six (6) months of the biennium, the
department shall include a projection of expenditures for the
next biennium based on the spending for the current biennium
unless the legislature provides for a different level of funding
for the next biennium.
(c) The funding for the child health insurance program
shall be deemed to be included within the division of health
care financing line item within the department of health budget
unless a separate line item is provided in the budget bill.
General fund expenditures for the child health program shall not
exceed the amount needed to match federal funds without explicit
authorization enacted in the budget bill.