Legislative budget office bill advances
Minnesota legislative leaders pushed ahead Wednesday with their plan to establish a new budget office that would operate independently of the executive branch.
The proposal, which is sponsored by House Speaker Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, and Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook.
The House State Government Operations Committee advanced the measure on a 13-2 vote.
Rather than the initial proposal for a new stand-alone office, the bill would now transfer some of the duties of the Department of Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) to the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA).
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During the committee hearing, House Majority Leader Joyce Peppin, R-Rogers, said the Legislature should not have to rely on the executive branch to analyze the fiscal impact of its budget work.
“We ought to be able to put our budget together independently of relying on information strictly from Management and Budget, who works for the executive branch,” Peppin said. “The governor is their boss, and I don’t view that as a check and balance.”
Peppin said she thinks the cost of the initiative would be minimal. She said some MMB employees would likely move to the OLA.
But Rep. Michael Nelson, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said he thinks there will be additional staffing costs for the office, which is headed by Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles.
“As great as he is, I don’t see him being able to do everything he’s doing now plus these additional roles without additional people,” Nelson said.
Nobles did not attend the House hearing. Judy Randall of the OLA told lawmakers that the proposed new duties shouldn’t be a problem.
“We’ll need to look into the details, but we’re confident we can make it work with our office,” Randall said.
DFL Gov. Mark Dayton opposes the measure.
He told reporters Tuesday that the proposal would be redundant and add confusion to the budget process. Dayton also said he takes umbrage at any suggestion that MMB fiscal analysts aren’t doing highly professional work.
“To cast aspersions on their credibility and the integrity of the process is totally unfounded and totally unwarranted,” Dayton said.
UPDATE
Following a late afternoon hearing, the Senate State and Local Government Committee advanced a similar bill on a voice vote. But the Senate version does not involve the Office of the Legislative Auditor.
Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, is the sponsor of the Senate bill. Bakk said at least 34 other state legislatures have their own budget offices.
“This is not extraordinary,” Bakk said. “This is much more of the norm in the way legislatures function and the way fiscal notes are developed.”