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Committee weighs creating an independent legislative analysis office
Summary
Members discussed a proposal to merge the Department of Legislative Reference and the Office of Council Services into an independent entity to produce objective bill reports and fiscal notes, modeled on Maryland's Department of Legislative Services; staff were asked to solicit views from DLR and Council Services.
The committee considered a proposal to make the Department of Legislative Reference (DLR) and the Office of Council Services an independent, combined entity that would supply neutral bill reports, fiscal notes and policy analysis to the council — a model described as similar to Maryland’s Department of Legislative Services.
Proponents said an independent unit would provide objective analysis separate from executive agencies and mayoral influence and would produce consistent fiscal and policy notes for council use. Members asked how such a unit would be staffed and whether it could handle current duties (bill drafting, amendment drafting, committee staffing and ad hoc analyses such as land‑value tax work cited in the meeting).
Several members requested that DLR and Council Services staff be consulted and invited to offer pros and cons. The chair asked for a memo comparing other jurisdictions’ legislative service models and for an explanation of operational capacity and referrals to executive agencies where state law requires it. No structural change was adopted; staff were asked to return with detailed options and stakeholder input.
