LFO briefs General Government subcommittee on budget rules, funds and DAS assessments

The Joint Ways and Means Committee’s General Government Subcommittee held an orientation Jan. 27 in Hearing Room H 170, where staff from the Legislative Fiscal Office (LFO) reviewed committee procedures, the state budget process and what members should expect in upcoming agency budget presentations.

Kim, an analyst with the Legislative Fiscal Office and the subcommittee’s coordinator, told members that the panel will hear agency budgets, fee bills and related policy measures and that the subcommittee “does not have the power to table or hold legislation.” She outlined how LFO staffs this panel, how to find meeting materials on OLISS, and how members should raise technical questions and amendment requests.

The briefing aimed to give new and returning members the tools to follow budgets and to identify issues to pursue in phase 2 work sessions. LFO staff emphasized that the subcommittee will consider administrative budgets and assessments that affect many state agencies — notably Department of Administrative Services (DAS) assessments — and that those assessment decisions can change costs across state government.

LFO role and products

LFO staff described their nonpartisan role in producing fiscal impact statements, budget reports and package-level analyses that trace changes from a prior biennium to a proposed budget. Kim said LFO…