Legislative Budget Assistant briefs Senate Finance Committee on timeline, workload and fiscal-note process

For the record, my name is Michael Keane. I'm the legislative budget assistant, for the office of legislative budget assistant, Michael Keane told the Senate Finance Committee at the start of the meeting.

Keane outlined what the Office of Legislative Budget Assistant (LBA) does, why the office produces the 92‑page briefing document given to the Legislature and what to expect this budget season. The briefing matters because it sets deadlines the governor and the two chambers must meet, explains the volume of fiscal work LBA performs and flags audit and reporting delays that could affect committee schedules.

The LBA provides two divisions: a seven‑person budget division and an audit division that generally has 22–24 employees, Keane said. He told the committee the office prepares about 1,100 fiscal notes a year and roughly 300 fiscal‑impact statements on administrative rules, and it compiles a reference “92‑page” briefing the House and Senate Finance Committees receive at the start of each session. "Only 92," he said when members joked about the document's length.

Keane walked senators through key statutory and calendar items in the briefing. He noted RSA 9 and RSA 92 as the statutory framework that governs appropriations and the governor’s transmission of a budget, and reminded the panel the governor is statutorily required to submit a budget by Feb. 15. He summarized the committee calendar the LBA expects: House Finance is likely to report the budget to the House in early April, with a statutory crossover around April 10; the Senate will receive the House budget around mid‑April and generally must complete action by June 5, followed by conference committee work the week of June 12.

Keane also described other LBA responsibilities: preparing revenue estimates, updating surplus statements the state uses to ensure a balanced budget, conducting financial and performance audits, and preparing fiscal notes and fiscal‑impact statements. He told the committee that the Liquor Commission’s delayed audit work had prompted an extension for the annual comprehensive financial report and that LBA expects another extension through the end of March because of late data from the commission.

On fiscal‑note practice, Keane said the office treats departmental estimates as the independent baseline for costs and discourages outside influence on those departmental submissions: "That is our only way to get the independent department estimate of what these things are gonna cost," he told the committee. He also described internal staffing assignments by subject area and invited senators to visit LBA in room 102 of the State House.

Keane closed by offering to provide the committee with updated revenue and surplus information as it becomes available and to help quantify components such as how much of municipal pension contributions are going to pay down unfunded liabilities. Senators asked no substantive follow‑up questions during the briefing.