Tilley: Accurate Fiscal Notes Crucial To Passing Legislation

In Jefferson City, whenever a member of the Missouri legislature proposes a bill we receive a fiscal note. These fiscal notes are created by gathering all the proposed costs to the legislation from each affected department in state government. These fiscal notes are usually very helpful tools to analyze some of the fiscal impacts of legislation. Some times the cost savings or a positive fiscal, note improve the benefits of a bill. Other times bills that carry heavy fiscal notes are defeated or not pursued because of their cost.

These fiscal notes are usually very helpful and insightful tools we can use in the state legislature to not only advocate or oppose a bill, but learn more about the cost of doing business in state government. Unfortunately, we have recently seen these estimated costs of doing business abused to protect state departments.

Missouri’s budget is going to be tight this year. We’re all going through the recession together, and state government is going to have to live within its means – just like you and I do. As a result, the House is going to be reluctant to pass any bill with a fiscal note which says that the state is going to need to spend excess money to enact the bill. In fact, we created a Fiscal Review Committee just to analyze costs of certain proposals and reject ones we don’t have money to spend.

Unfortunately, on many of our bills this session, the bureaucracy appears to be inflating fiscal notes. They will often say that a program requires them to hire ten new employees. Then they say they would have to purchase new computers, suites of office furniture, and supplies for each of these people, or that simple common tasks cost much more than even a reasonable estimate.

The unfortunate outcome of these actions is that we have to keep an even closer watchful eye on the governor’s state departments because we don’t want political motivations made by the governor or his agents in state government to inappropriately attempt to influence or decisions on legislation.

For instance, we have already passed legislation [HB73] that would require drug tests for welfare recipients and getting ready to consider a bill that would require counties and school districts to disclose any debt. Both of these measures received outrageous cost estimates much higher than anything we could go out and find in the private sector, even if we attempted a “Cadillac” version of what we were considering. What we did find is that the governor and his agents do not like these pieces of legislation and might be trying to unfairly influence our decisions based on the fiscal notes. As a result we have started the process of contesting these fiscal notes and forcing state departments to make a more accurate cost assessment.

During this session our legislature wants to create jobs for Missourians – while eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in state government. If we can’t get honest estimates from the departments, it’s going to be harder to evaluate bills, harder to pass legislation, and harder to get Missourians back to work.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve here in the House of Representatives. As always, I welcome your comments. You may reach me at 573-751-1488, send your e-mails to steven.tilley@house.mo.gov or write to me at the Missouri House of Representatives, State Capitol, Room 308, Jefferson City, MO 65101.