5-5-224. Education and local government interim committee. (1) The education and local government interim committee shall act as a liaison with local governments. The education and local government interim committee has administrative rule review, draft legislation review, program evaluation, and monitoring functions for the following executive branch agencies and the entities attached to agencies for administrative purposes:
     (a) state board of education;
     (b) board of public education;
     (c) board of regents of higher education; and
     (d) office of public instruction.
     (2) The committee shall:
     (a) provide information to the board of regents in the following areas:
     (i) annual budget allocations;
     (ii) annual goal statement development;
     (iii) long-range planning;
     (iv) outcome assessment programs; and
     (v) any other area that the committee considers to have significant educational or fiscal policy impact;
     (b) periodically review the success or failure of the university system in meeting its annual goals and long-range plans;
     (c) periodically review the results of outcome assessment programs;
     (d) develop mechanisms to ensure strict accountability of the revenue and expenditures of the university system;
     (e) study and report to the legislature on the advisability of adjustments to the mechanisms used to determine funding for the university system, including criteria for determining appropriate levels of funding;
     (f) act as a liaison between both the legislative and executive branches and the board of regents;
     (g) encourage cooperation between the legislative and executive branches and the board of regents;
     (h) promote and strengthen local government through recognition of the principle that strong communities, with effective, democratic governmental institutions, are one of the best assurances of a strong Montana;
     (i) bring together representatives of state and local government for consideration of common problems;
     (j) provide a forum for discussing state oversight of local functions, realistic local autonomy, and intergovernmental cooperation;
     (k) identify and promote the most desirable allocation of state and local government functions, responsibilities, and revenue;
     (l) promote concise, consistent, and uniform regulation for local government;
     (m) coordinate and simplify laws, rules, and administrative practices in order to achieve more orderly and less competitive fiscal and administrative relationships between and among state and local governments;
     (n) review state mandates to local governments that are subject to 1-2-112 and 1-2-114 through 1-2-116;
     (o) make recommendations to the legislature, executive branch agencies, and local governing bodies concerning:
     (i) changes in statutes, rules, ordinances, and resolutions that will provide concise, consistent, and uniform guidance and regulations for local government;
     (ii) changes in tax laws that will achieve more orderly and less competitive fiscal relationships between levels of government;
     (iii) methods of coordinating and simplifying competitive practices to achieve more orderly administrative relationships among levels of government; and
     (iv) training programs and technical assistance for local government officers and employees that will promote effectiveness and efficiency in local government; and
     (p) conduct interim studies as assigned.

     History: En. Sec. 26, Ch. 19, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 11, Ch. 210, L. 2001.