Evidence-Based Designations for Budget

Joint Budget Committee. The bill modifies the established set of definitions to be used when analyzing available evidence regarding a program or practice in relation to a budget request, request for a supplemental appropriation, or budget request amendment (collectively, budget request). The bill also modifies accordingly the process for incorporating evidence-based decision-making into budgetary decisions.

If a state agency or the office of state planning and budgeting (office) includes information regarding the best available evidence on the effectiveness of a program or practice in a budget request, the state agency or office is required to give the program or practice an evidence designation based on the statutory definitions. In such case, the state agency or office is also required to provide a summary of the best available evidence about the program or practice, information concerning how the best available evidence is connected to the budget request, and any plans to evaluate the program or practice to build evidence regarding its effectiveness (collectively, the evidence designation justification). The state agency or the office may also include with its budget request that an evidence designation is not applicable or that the budget request is ineligible for an evidence designation.

Joint budget committee staff is required to review the evidence designation justification and to include an evidence designation or to state that an evidence designation is not applicable or that the budget request is ineligible for an evidence designation as part of any recommendation it makes regarding a budget request. The staff director is required to appoint additional staff as necessary to review and evaluate the evidence designation and its justification. The joint budget committee is required to consider, as one of many factors, the evidence designation when determining the appropriate level of funding for a program or practice. The bill requires state agencies to participate in the evidence-based decision-making process, including investing in building evidence, as applicable, to work towards the evidence designations outlined in the bill.

The bill also makes conforming amendments.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)