The bill revises the requirements for reporting actual costs associated with legislation that has projected fiscal impacts. It amends Section 5-4-208 of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) to change the reporting frequency from an annual basis to a quarterly basis. Specifically, for bills with an estimated expenditure exceeding $500,000 from the general fund, the Office of Budget and Program Planning is now required to prepare and present a quarterly report to the Legislative Finance Committee and the Interim Budget Committees. This report will include the name of the bill, actual expenditures incurred, and a comparison to the projected costs outlined in the fiscal note.

Additionally, the bill repeals Section 6 of Chapter 350 from the Laws of 2021, which previously set a termination date for certain reporting requirements. The revised reporting requirements aim to enhance transparency and accountability regarding the fiscal impacts of legislation, ensuring that lawmakers have timely access to financial data related to enacted bills.

Statutes affected:
HB0714_1.pdf: 5-4-208
HB0714_2.pdf: 5-4-208
Amended: 5-4-208
Introduced: 5-4-208