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Senate panel concurs on bill to tighten fiscal‑note follow‑up reporting
Summary
The Senate Finance and Claims Committee concurred with House Bill 228, which lowers the reporting trigger from $1 million to $500,000 over any year in a four‑year fiscal note and requires twice‑yearly reports so lawmakers can track how enacted legislation is implemented and what it actually costs.
Representative Dole Mercer urged the Senate Finance and Claims Committee to adopt House Bill 228, saying the measure aims to strengthen transparency of fiscal notes by removing a sunset and improving reporting on actual implementation costs. Mercer said the bill lowers the threshold that triggers reporting from $1 million to $500,000 over one year of a four‑year fiscal note and requires reports twice a year so interim budget committees can better monitor spending and implementation.
Supporters told the committee the change grew out of earlier reforms (House Bill 146 in 2021) intended to give appropriators a clearer picture of whether projected costs match actual expenditures. Amy Franks of the Office of Budget and Planning and Representative Mercer said reports are already posted through Legislative Finance Committee materials and that the lower trigger will capture items previously missed by the $1,000,000 cutoff.
The committee used voice vote in executive action to concur with the House on HB228. Senator Cuff volunteered to carry the bill. The measure was advanced from Senate Finance and Claims for consideration by the full Senate.
