Title: An act relating to establishing a process for reporting, reviewing, and collecting data on performance measures.

Brief Description: Using performance measures for budgeting decisions.

Sponsors: House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives McIntire, Anderson, Kessler, Conway, Fromhold, Clements, Kagi, Linville, Jarrett, Hunter, Tom, Hinkle, Upthegrove, Kilmer, Wood and Santos).

Brief History: Passed House: 2/14/06, 97-0.

Committee Activity: Ways & Means:

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS

Staff: Steve Jones (786-7440)

Background: The Budget and Account Act provides the guidelines used by agencies, the Office of Financial Management, and legislative fiscal committees in developing, implementing, and monitoring the state budget.

Agencies establish program objectives for each major program in the budget, expressed in outcome-based, objective, and measurable forms. The agencies also adopt procedures for self-assessment of each program and activity, using the mission, goals, objectives, and measurements of the agency. Finally, agencies are to link the budget proposals to the agency's stated mission, program goals, and objectives.

The Budget and Accounting Act establishes various requirements for the budget documents that the Governor submits to the Legislature before each regular session. The required documents include: the Governor's budget message, which explains the budget and outlines proposed fiscal policies for the period covered by the budget; the budget bill; and other supporting information.

Summary of Bill: State agencies establish performance measures for each major activity in their budget.

From among these performance measures, the Office of Financial Management (OFM) must identify between 100 and 200 key performance measures that reflect statewide budgeting priorities. OFM shall submit these proposed priority measures to the Legislature by October 1 of each odd-numbered year, beginning in 2007. The Legislature, including policy and fiscal committees, must review and modify the measures. During each even-numbered-year session, beginning in 2008, the legislative fiscal committees adopt these measures and forward them to the OFM for inclusion in the OFM performance measure database.

The Legislative Evaluation and Accountability Program (LEAP) compiles and validates a database of priority performance measures data, including historical information.

The Governor's budget documents must include a list of the key priority performance measures and information on progress and current performance of these measures.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.