Welcome to Missouri Legislative Oversight

OVERSIGHT DIVISION Mickey Wilson, CPA, Director

The Committee is comprised of the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and nine other members of the Senate and the Chairman of the House Budget Committee and nine other members of the House of Representatives. The Senate members are appointed by the President Pro Tem of the Senate and House members are appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. No more than six members from the House and six members from the Senate may be of the same political party. The Chairman of the Committee on Legislative Research appoints an Oversight Subcommittee* to more closely supervise the work of the Oversight Division. Three Representatives and three Senators from the full committee are appointed to the subcommittee.

*Representatives:*	*Senators:*
Scott Muschany - Chair	Gary Nodler ,Vice - Chair
Rachel Bringer	Victor Callahan
Allen Icet	Jason Crowell
Connie Johnson	Michael R Gibbons
Paul Levota	Jack Goodman
Bryan Pratt	Timothy Green
Jason Smith	Jolie Justus
Juanita Head Walton	Brad Lager
Brian Yates	Delbert Scott
Tim Jones	Wes Shoemyer

The Division has two primary duties: the preparation of fiscal notes on all bills pending before the General Assembly and performance of management and program evaluations.

FISCAL NOTES

Section 23 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri requires the Oversight Division to prepare a fiscal note on each bill before action may be taken on it. The fiscal note must state:

1) the cost of the proposed legislation to the state for the next two fiscal years;
2) whether the proposal would establish a program or agency which would duplicate an existing program or agency;
3) whether the provisions of the proposal were federally mandated;
4) whether the proposal would have significant direct fiscal impact upon any political subdivision of the state;
5) whether any new physical facilities would be required; and
6) whether the proposal would fiscally impact small businesses.

Oversight prepares new fiscal notes on bills and joint resolutions at the following points in the course of the legislative process:

1) before the initial committee hearing on the proposal in its chamber of origin,
2) before a proposal reaches the top of the Bills for Perfection Calendar if the bill or joint resolution was amended or substituted by the committee to which it was assigned,
3) before a proposal reaches the top of the Bills for Third Reading Calendar (even if the bill or joint resolution is not amended on the floor, Oversight prepares a new fiscal note on the "Perfected" bill or joint resolution),
4) before a proposal reaches the top of the Bills for Third Reading Calendar in the opposite chamber of the chamber of origin, if the committee to which the proposal was assigned in the "opposite" chamber amends or substitutes the proposal,
5) any time leadership refers a proposal to either the House Budget Committee or the Senate Committee on Budget Control for a hearing due to questions about the proposal's fiscal effects, and
6) upon amendment on the floor of the "opposite" chamber and sent back to the "original" chamber for concurrence or on Conference Committee Reports (as time allows).
7) after a proposal is Truly Agreed to and Finally Passed.

Oversight does, when requested, prepare fiscal notes on drafts of proposals which have not been introduced as bills or have not been formally presented as either committee or floor substitutes. These drafts are considered confidential until the proposal is publicly introduced.

The process in preparing a fiscal note begins when the drafter in either Senate Research or Legislative Research forwards a copy of the bill draft to Oversight with a request for fiscal note. Oversight reviews the draft and forwards a copy to all affected state agencies and local political subdivisions as required by statute. Once the agencies have reviewed the legislative draft and have determined what fiscal impact, if any, it will have upon their agency they respond to Oversight. Oversight compiles all agency responses and together with their own independent research, prepares a fiscal note stating the estimated fiscal impact to state government, local governments and small businesses.

The Oversight Division prepares approximately 3,000 fiscal notes during a regular legislative session.

PROGRAM EVALUATIONS

To meet the demands for more responsive and cost effective state government, legislators often desire to obtain information regarding the status of state programs they have created and the expenditure of funds they have authorized. The Committee on Legislative Research, through the Oversight Division, can investigate and assess state agency performance in the implementation of laws and report the findings to the Legislature. The Oversight Division conducts its work in an independent manner utilizing trained professional staff. An evaluation generally includes examination of state agency records, interviews of agency staff, surveys of affected citizens, on-site observation of program operations and review of similar programs in other states. The objectives of the evaluation usually include determining efficiency, effectiveness and quality of the program. Questions regarding sufficient funding levels, appropriate spending practices and the need for extension of sunset dates can often be answered in the course of the evaluation. In addition, recommendations are made to the legislature for changes that could be made to enhance the program or facilitate more efficient management of the program. The Division is assigned evaluations pursuant to a concurrent resolution of the General Assembly or a resolution adopted by the Committee on Legislative Research. Staff devote time to completing the work during the interim, between June and December. Reports are typically presented to the Committee on Legislative Research for review and release to the public upon completion.