Legislative fiscal office: semi‑independent agencies largely within budgets; committee moves report to full Ways and Means

The Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on General Government on May 27 acknowledged receipt of a Legislative Fiscal Office review of Oregon’s semi‑independent agencies and voted to send the LFO report to the full committee with the LFO recommendation.

The Legislative Fiscal Office review, presented by Haley Morris Miller, Legislative Fiscal Office analyst, and Emily Coates, Legislative Fiscal Office analyst, covered 11 semi‑independent agencies that are statutorily required to submit biennial reports and summarized agency budgets, licensing and enforcement activities, and financial reviews for the 2021–23 biennium.

“LFO reviewed each submitted report that summarizes the agency’s performance for the 21–23 biennium for completeness and compliance with statutory requirements,” Coates said. She added that the review is not an audit and that findings are limited to information agencies provided.

Why it matters: semi‑independent agencies set many licensing fees and operate largely outside the executive branch budget process. The LFO flagged that most of the covered agencies are self‑funded through fees, federal funds, grants and program revenues, and that their budgets are not reviewed through the executive branch or the Joint Committee on Ways and Means the same way standard state agency budgets are handled.

Key findings and figures: LFO reported that 11 agencies submitted a Moss Adams financial review covering the biennium ending June 30, 2023, and that the agreed‑upon procedures generally found adequate controls with recommended improvements. LFO found that, overall, agencies operated…