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Legislative Services introduces new impact review team and expands analyst roster for JFAC support
Summary
Legislative Services Office staff and DFM briefly introduced new and returning analysts and a newly funded impact review team designed to help JFAC with research, evidence and policy analysis during the budget process.
Paul Headley, deputy chief of the Legislative Services Office, introduced a five-person impact review team that LSO added for the session and described the team's role supporting committees with evidence and targeted research.
Headley told JFAC members the impact review analysts can produce short email responses, one- or two-page briefs or deeper research products to answer questions about program evidence and outcomes. "As I've looked at performance measures, performance budgeting, recently and over the years, there's 1 word or 1 theme that kind of continues to rise to the top and that's evidence," he said, emphasizing the team will help staff and members locate evaluations and comparative evidence for proposed programs.
Headley named team members and their subject areas: Casey Hartwig (public schools, higher education, natural resources), Alex Penny (health and human services, general government, capital budgets), and Alex Hatfield (IT analysis, transportation and public safety mapping support). He also introduced two research fellows on loan from the university fellowship program, Ellen Upton and a second fellow who will assist with data and policy review.
Separately, Budget and Policy Manager Keith Bybee introduced the budget analysts assigned to JFAC for this session and noted their areas of responsibility: deputy manager Jared Tetreault; data systems coordinator Shane Winslow; principal analyst Janet Jessup (natural resources, appropriations bill coordination); Frances Lippitt (capital budgets, CEC); Alex Williamson (health and welfare); Brooke Dupree (transportation, commerce, labor); and newer analysts Kevin Campbell (secondary education), Noah Peterson (public safety), Kellen McGurkin (general government) and Chris Lahoset (elected officials, public defender offices).
Bybee said analysts are assigned to work groups and encouraged members to connect early with their analysts so staff can begin agency outreach and data collection for budget questions. "Pay attention to the analyst that's gonna work with the 2 areas that we've asked you to work on," he said.
Ending: Headley and Bybee asked members to use the new impact and analyst resources as JFAC begins detailed budget review in the coming weeks.
