Trends in state budgeting agencies' staffs, roles, functions and relative power, interagency relationships and relative power, and the effects of professional staffing on budget policy and on democratic practice and decision-making are considered. The following three types of legislative staffs that impinge directly on budget decisions are described: joint legislative budget staffs, budget committee staffs of the separate houses, and program or performance audit staffs. Great variety characterizes the quantity and quality of interrelationships of the legislative staffs, ranging from close supervision and coordination of all staff work by a single director, to the active antagonism of separately controlled committee staffs. In all but three states the governor has a professional staff devoted to budget development. In state higher education agencies, members of the technical budget staff are likely to be college graduates with previous budgeting experience. Interagency relationships among state staffs are considered in terms of the level of professionalism, openness in communication and information bases, role competition and confusion, and redundancy. Checks and balances and professional staffings in the executive and legislative branches and in coordinating agencies are discussed. The following functions of coordinating agencies are considered: planning and policy studies, information and management systems, program initiatives and control, and budget review of programs and services in relation to long-range plans and policy analyses. Additionally, the following duties of the executive budget office are addressed: determining the share of state revenue to be recommended to the legislature for higher education, making the technical and mathematical review of the budget, allocating funds, and conducting special financial policy studies. (SW)