2. Current Landscape
• High Stakes on Fiscal Notes
• Premium Placed on Speed and Quantity
• Lack of Confidence
-NCSL Review Requested
• Erosion of Fiscal Analysis Capacity
6. Erosion in Fiscal Analysis Capacity
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Session Work Days vs Fiscal Staff FTE vs Fiscal Note/Memo Quantity
3,413
2,729
2,988
2,767
2,500 2,424
2,268
Fiscal Staff FTE
Session Work Days
7. Erosion in Fiscal Analysis Capacity
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Session Days vs Fiscal Staff FTE vs Fiscal Note/Memo Quantity
3,413
2,729
2,988
2,767
2,500 2,424
2,268
Fiscal Staff FTE
Session Work Days
Count of session work days OVERSTATES actual time for fiscal
analysis since filing deadline is well after session start date
8. Erosion in Fiscal Analysis Capacity
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Effective Staff Time vs Fiscal Note/Memo Quantity
3,413
2,729
2,988
2,767
2,500 2,424
2,268
Fiscal Staff FTE
Session Work Days
Effective Fiscal Staff Time
9. Erosion in Fiscal Analysis Capacity
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Effective Staff Time vs Fiscal Note/Memo Quantity + New Duty
3,413
2,729
2,988
2,767
2,500 2,424
2,268
Commerce Impact Added
Fiscal Staff FTE
Session Work Days
Effective Fiscal Staff Time
10. So What Has to Give?
Higher Productivity or Lower Quality
• Average Work Day Extended (more comp time)
• Research Time Reduced
• Fiscal Notes Drafted More Quickly
• Internal Review Time Reduced
Work day extension is a viable (and expected) response,
but beyond a certain point worker effectiveness/efficiency
suffers.
11. Higher Productivity or Lower Quality?
3.6 3.3 3.7 4.0 3.8 4.0 3.9
11.6 11.0
12.7
13.7
22.5
23.8
21.0
0
5
10
15
20
25
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Fiscal Notes/Memos per Session Work Day - Writers & Reviewers
Fiscal Note/Memo per Writer Work Day Fiscal Note/Memo per Reviewer Work Day
12. Higher Productivity or Lower Quality?
133
146
128
119
128
121
41
44
38
35
21
20
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Minutes per Fiscal Note/Memo
Writer Time per Fiscal Note/Memo (Minutes per Item) Reviewer Time per Fiscal Note/Memo (Minutes per Item)
174
3 Hours
2 Hours
1 Hour
190
166
155 149
141
13. What Do These Numbers Mean?
Higher Productivity or Lower Quality
• Understates peak level time crunch
- 90% of production demand falls during about 66% of session time
• Emphasis has been on maintaining fiscal note
generating capacity (vs quality review)
A deeper look at staffing levels behind these numbers
reveals even more!
18. Evolution of JFRC Fiscal Staffing
Over the past 5 sessions, 19 different people have occupied
fiscal staff positions:
9 Gone
4 Hired prior to 2011 Session and are still here
6 Hired since 2010 Session are still here
- of those six, 3 were hired over just the last 2 sessions
19. So Where Do We Stand?
• Time compression has outpaced workload change.
• Work content has become more complex.
• Dramatic and recurring turnover has cut deeply into fiscal
staff experience level (and kept it low).
• Quality review time have been sacrificed to maintain
output speed.
• Confidence in fiscal notes remains too low.
So what shall we do?
20. 2016 Session Prep Plan
For a high performing legislative fiscal office, after session isn’t
just time off…it’s off-season training!
• Off-season work focuses on improving execution for the next
season (legislative session).
• Monthly “off-season” work plan prepared to ready ourselves for the
2016 Session.
• This plan sets guideposts, not fixed milestones for both the staff and
the Committee.
• Goal #1a: Build trust and raise confidence in fiscal notes
• Goal #1b: Reverse trend of constant staff churn (build expertise)
21. 2016 Session Prep Plan
May 2015
2015 Session Review
Identify Key Issues to Address & Resolve
Initiate IT Support Requests to LIS
June 2015
Examine Fiscal Note Procedures and Scoring Rules
• Refine throughput procedures to increase efficiency (e.g. managing requests; internal tracking;
etc.)
• Clarify (and refine, as needed) scoring standards to elevate quality and confidence in fiscal notes
(e.g. budget impact vs fiscal impact; define “Not Significant”; etc.).
• Refine the fiscal note layout for ease of use
22. 2016 Session Prep Plan
July 2015
Examine Staff Duties, Structure, and Size
• Internal organization (e.g. topical areas; committee support duties; job categories; House vs
Senate orientation; etc.)
• External partnerships (e.g. tapping outside expertise when needed)
• Cross-department relationships (e.g. can JRFC and OLS work together more closely)
Develop Lobbyist Engagement Protocol
Develop JFRC Staff Confidentiality Rules
Continue Work on Fiscal Note Procedures and Scoring Rules
23. 2016 Session Prep Plan
August 2015
Continue work on Staff Duties, Structure, and Size
Committee adopts Fiscal Note Procedures and Scoring Rules
Committee adopts Lobbyists Engagement Protocol
Committee adopts JFRC Staff Confidentiality Rules
Follow-up on Remaining (Unresolved) IT Support Modifications with LIS
24. 2016 Session Prep Plan
September 2015
Committee adopts JFRC Staff Duties, Structure, and Size for 2016 Session
• JFRC Director begins implementing all staffing changes adopted by the full committee
Develop JFRC Staff Employee Handbook/Personnel Rules
• Includes all aspects basic legislative staff employment rules plus any special provisions unique to
JFRC (e.g. lobbyist protocol, confidentiality, career ladder, etc.)
October 2015
Continue Implementation of Adopted Changes to JFRC Staff Duties, Structure,
and Size
Committee adopts JFRC Staff Employee Handbook/Personnel Rules
25. Whose Plan Is It Anyway?
• The Fiscal Review Office works for you.
- By law, all of our work is done on behalf of the Committee
• Enhancing the quality and status of fiscal impact analysis is
your success.
• Committee member active participation and strong
support is essential to making any lasting improvements.
• Building trust and confidence in the fiscal note process
starts RIGHT HERE!
Whatever the importance of the fiscal analysis work we do during session, it this the type of work we under take today that truly makes a difference to the long term fiscal strength of Tennessee.
Whether deserved or not, the lack of confidence in fiscal notes is a real issue that must be addressed.
No set of flat numbers can truly capture the nuances that impact the capacity and performance of a knowledge-based operation, but I’ll attempt to use the data available to us to illustrate where we stand.
Session Work Days includes Monday through Friday while in session.
