NCSL liaison briefs Vermont House Appropriations Committee on research, federal cuts tracking and budgeting tools

Erica McKellar, a fiscal-affairs liaison from the National Conference of State Legislatures, told the Vermont House Appropriations Committee on April 3 that NCSL can serve as a research and peer-connection resource as the committee prepares for possible federal funding cuts and budget disruptions.

McKellar, introduced to the committee as NCSL's liaison to the Vermont legislature, said, “We are really here to serve you in any way that you need to support the important work that you all do here in state legislatures.” She described NCSL services that include comparative bill research, surveys of other states, contacts with legislative fiscal directors and trainings, and noted NCSL’s fiscal tracking work on executive orders and federal actions.

Committee members pressed McKellar on several practical topics. Members asked whether NCSL is “war gaming” federal actions and bond-rating impacts; McKellar said NCSL is tracking executive orders and discussing potential impacts with members and partner organizations, and has issued letters to Congress alongside groups such as the Council of State Governments and the National League of Cities. She offered to gather more state examples and research and to connect committee members with officials in other states.

Committee members also raised questions about budgeting practices. One member described difficulties understanding base budgets because carry-forward funds and reversions are tracked on separate spreadsheets; the member asked whether other states present agency requests or budget documents differently. McKellar said she would look into state practices for agency budget requests and carry-forward treatments and promised to follow up with materials.

The committee chair said the committee will ask agencies to inventory federal funding and assess risk levels. “We are gonna ... send out a letter under my name written by JFO to Sarah Clark as the secretary of administration … that says, we want you to take a look at all your federal funds. How are you thinking about them at this moment in time? Can you prioritize high, medium, low risk?” the chair said, describing a plan for information gathering, spreadsheets prepared by JFO and forthcoming agency briefings to the committee.

Other topics raised included healthcare-system stress, Medicaid policy seminars NCSL has offered, rural housing development challenges and an outcomes-based budgeting approach referenced by a committee member who cited Vermont’s 2014 Act 186 as an example. McKellar said her health-and-human-services team could follow up with resources and that NCSL would collect examples of outcomes- or performance-based budgeting for the committee to consider.

McKellar encouraged members to attend NCSL events and trainings and highlighted the organization’s annual summit in Boston on Aug. 4–6. Committee members affirmed they would consider NCSL materials and noted staff and intern use of the NCSL website for comparative research.

The committee described a near-term work plan: JFO will distribute a template and letter to agencies to catalog federal funding exposure; agencies will be asked to prioritize risks and report back; the committee expects to schedule agency briefings in coming weeks so members can consider whether to amend the budget if federal funding changes materialize. No formal committee votes or motions were recorded during the NCSL briefing.

McKellar's visit was presented as informational: she committed to collecting state examples, survey results and training information, and to share NCSL slide materials from recent Medicaid seminars when available.