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Panel backs bill to allow updated fiscal notes for ballot measures ahead of fall elections
Summary
Senators voted to advance HB 1063, which would allow fiscal notes for citizen-initiated ballot measures to be updated closer to an election so voters receive more current cost estimates.
The committee gave a do-pass recommendation to HB 1063, a bill to allow the Legislative Research Council or other appropriate authority to update fiscal notes for citizen-initiated ballot measures nearer to the election.
Proponents said existing law can leave voters with outdated fiscal estimates because fiscal notes are sometimes prepared long before an election. "It only makes sense that we get the best information out, as close to the election as we can to the voting public so they can make an intelligent decision," TJ Nelson, registered lobbyist for FGA Action, told the committee.
Why it matters: Proponents cited a recent initiated measure whose fiscal note was prepared more than two years before the vote and said updated estimates presented closer to the election showed materially different projected impacts. Supporters said the change would improve voter information when high-dollar impacts are possible.
Details and testimony: Senator Bill Howard, sponsor, said early fiscal notes for a recent measure were "23 months before the election" and later updates showed different estimates. Nelson said the initial LRC fiscal note for a recent measure was prepared in December 2022 and that a July LRC review increased the estimated state impact after further legal review. Zebediah Johnson of the Voter Defense Association also testified in support, saying "voters deserve accurate up-to-date information when deciding ballot questions."
Procedure and outcome: Senator Voda moved a do-pass recommendation; the committee recorded an affirmative vote and reported eight yeas and one excused. HB 1063 will go to the floor with the committee's recommendation.
What the bill does not do: The committee advanced the procedural change but did not adopt new fiscal methodology; the transcript contains proponents' claims about prior estimates but does not include any statutory citations changing the LRC's authority.
Next steps: The bill will appear on the Senate floor for debate and final action.
