2011 Montana Legislature

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 26

INTRODUCED BY D. LEWIS

BY REQUEST OF THE SENATE FINANCE AND CLAIMS STANDING COMMITTEE

A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MONTANA RECOMMENDING INTERIM MONITORING ACTIVITIES BY LEGISLATIVE ADMINISTRATIVE AND INTERIM COMMITTEES AS RECOMMENDED BY THE JOINT SUBCOMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS AND SENATE FINANCE AND CLAIMS STANDING COMMITTEES.

WHEREAS, appropriations power is vested in the Legislature by the Montana Constitution; and

WHEREAS, the act of appropriating funds is one of the most significant expressions of legislative policy; and

WHEREAS, the 2011 Legislature evaluated critical goals for agency operations as part of the appropriations process; and

WHEREAS, interim legislative committees are charged with program evaluation and monitoring functions for specific state agencies; and

WHEREAS, performance monitoring has the potential to communicate what is received in return for the investment of tax dollars; and

WHEREAS, through performance monitoring, both agency personnel and policymakers may gain understanding of program effectiveness instead of focusing on the preservation of existing programs and associated spending levels; and

WHEREAS, performance monitoring helps explain the results of previous legislative funding decisions and aids in priority setting; and

WHEREAS, performance monitoring helps estimate and justify the potential consequences of new funding decisions;

WHEREAS, regular performance monitoring before and during budget deliberations encourages deeper legislative understanding of agency activities and may even garner support for them; and

WHEREAS, effective performance monitoring is a partnership between the Executive, Judicial, and Legislative Branches of state government.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:

That the Legislative Finance Committee, in cooperation with the Legislative Council, be requested to recommend to appropriate administrative or interim committees, pursuant to section 5-5-217, MCA, interim monitoring activities as recommended by the Joint Subcommittees on Appropriations.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Joint Subcommittees' recommendation requests interim monitoring of the Department of Public Health and Human Services in regard to the following:

(1) implementation of broad-based budget reductions and the effect on operations;

(2) implementation of Healthy Montana Kids;

(3) evaluation of the impacts of the economy and recession on workload and programs;

(4) implementation of components of federal health insurance reform including:

(a) integration of Medicaid eligibility determination in the health insurance exchange design;

(b) evaluation of the potential for a single system to determine Medicaid eligibility; and

(5) within the Human and Community Services Division:

(a) implementation of the broad-based budget and personal services reductions and related effects on the division; and

(b) monitoring the caseload growth in SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, LIEAP, and child care and the number of children entering and exiting foster care; and

(6) monitoring the impact of the implementation of the components of federal health insurance reform on the Technology Services Division.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Joint Subcommittees' recommendation for interim monitoring of the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks requests followup by the Environmental Quality Council of agency goals and objectives for the:

(1) migratory bird program;

(2) upland game bird program; and

(3) brucellosis in elk study.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Joint Subcommittees' recommendation for interim monitoring of the Department of Environmental Quality requests that the Environmental Quality Council review, on at least an annual basis, the cleanup progress at the KRY site and the progress toward petroleum tank site closures.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Joint Subcommittees' recommendation for interim monitoring of the Judicial Branch requests that the Legislative Finance Committee monitor the Court Help Program and the Water Court.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Joint Subcommittees' recommendation for interim monitoring of the Department of Justice requests that the Legislative Finance Committee monitor the vehicle insurance verification system and the Motor Vehicle Division.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Joint Subcommittees' recommendation for interim monitoring of the Office of the Public Defender and the Department of Corrections requests monitoring of the average daily population of secure assisted living beds.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Joint Subcommittees' recommendation requests interim monitoring of K-12 education and the progress on:

(1) implementing state actions to create a culture of effective data use and to improve student performance; and

(2) goals and objectives on K-12, higher education, and P-20, including the role and mission of the Education and Local Government Interim Committee, which absorbed the Joint Committee on Postsecondary Education Policy and Budget that was repealed in 1999.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Joint Subcommittees' recommendation requests interim monitoring of the Preservation Review Board on the status and maintenance needs of agency heritage properties if Senate Bill No. 3 is passed and approved.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Joint Subcommittees also discussed the following for interim monitoring:

(1) the Department of Public Health and Human Services and the department's activities in regard to:

(a) House Bills No. 130, No. 131, and No. 132 from the 2009 legislative session;

(b) children's mental health providers in the Disability Services Division;

(2) the State Auditor's Office and Insure Montana;

(3) the Department of Administration:

(a) the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on the state employee group plan with respect to:

(i) annual evaluation of whether to maintain grandfathered plan status;

(ii) receipt and use of early retiree reimbursements; and

(iii) constraints on benefit design and premium and cost share decisions; and

(b) efforts to reduce postage, printing, and warrant costs by encouraging vendors and state employees to use electronic funds transfers and advices;

(4) the Department of Revenue and the implementation and efficiencies gained from the scanning and imaging project; and

(5) the Department of Agriculture and the aquatic nuisance species benchmarks and report.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that all aspects of the study, including presentation and review requirements, be concluded prior to September 15, 2012.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the final results of the study, including any findings, conclusions, comments, or recommendations of the appropriate committee, be reported to the 63rd Legislature.

- END -

Latest Version of SJ 26 (SJ0026.ENR)
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