SF 78

2nd Engrossment - 90th Legislature (2017 - 2018) Posted on 11/09/2017 10:51am

A bill for an act
relating to state government; establishing an Advisory Task Force on Fiscal Notes.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

ADVISORY TASK FORCE ON FISCAL NOTES.

Subdivision 1.

Membership.

The Advisory Task Force on Fiscal Notes consists of the
following 13 voting members:

(1) four senators, including two senators appointed by the senate majority leader and
two senators appointed by the senate minority leader;

(2) four members of the house of representatives, including two members appointed by
the speaker of the house of representatives and two members appointed by the minority
leader of the house of representatives;

(3) the commissioner of management and budget or a designee;

(4) the state budget director or designee;

(5) two fiscal note coordinators selected by the commissioner of management and budget;
and

(6) one member appointed by the governor from the Office of the Governor.

The lead fiscal analyst for the senate or a designee and the chief fiscal analyst for the
house of representatives or a designee shall serve on the task force as nonvoting members.

Subd. 2.

Duties.

(a) The task force shall conduct a detailed review of the current fiscal
note process under Minnesota Statutes, section 3.98, to determine whether to modify the
process. The review should consider:

(1) the needs of the legislature for timely, accurate, unbiased fiscal notes prepared in a
cost-effective manner;

(2) the time it takes to obtain a fiscal note;

(3) the accuracy of fiscal notes;

(4) methods used by other states for preparing fiscal notes;

(5) the effect that legislative scheduling and amendments have on accuracy and timing
of fiscal notes;

(6) review of the legislative auditor's 2012 report on fiscal notes; and

(7) the current process of generating fiscal notes.

(b) The task force shall evaluate whether the fiscal note process could be improved if
the legislature, through a new legislative office, assumed the current role of the commissioner
of management and budget in the fiscal note process; the cost for creating a new legislative
office; whether the cost for the new office would be justified by the expense; and what
safeguards would be needed to be put in place to ensure the independence and nonpartisan
status of the office.

Subd. 3.

Report.

The task force shall report to the chairs and ranking minority members
of the committees in the house of representatives and senate with jurisdiction over the fiscal
note process by June 1, 2018, with recommendations for modifying the fiscal note process.
The report must include any draft legislation needed to implement the recommendations.

Subd. 4.

Chair.

The task force shall elect a chair by a majority vote of those members
present.

Subd. 5.

Meetings.

The meetings of the commission are subject to Minnesota Statutes,
section 3.055.

Subd. 6.

Administration.

The Legislative Coordinating Commission shall provide
administrative services for the commission.

Subd. 7.

Compensation.

Members who are not legislators serve without compensation.

Subd. 8.

Expiration.

This section expires the day after submitting the report required
in subdivision 3.

Sec. 2. FIRST APPOINTMENTS AND FIRST MEETING OF THE ADVISORY
TASK FORCE ON FISCAL INFORMATION FOR THE LEGISLATURE.

Subdivision 1.

First appointments.

Appointing authorities must make initial
appointments to the Advisory Task Force on Fiscal Notes by June 1, 2017.

Subd. 2.

First meeting.

The majority leader of the senate shall designate one senate
member of the Advisory Task Force on Fiscal Notes to convene the first meeting by August
1, 2017. The commission must select a chair from among the senate members at the first
meeting.

EFFECTIVE DATE.

This section is effective the day following final enactment.