With falling revenues and the need for greater understanding of the budget, revenues, and their policy ramifications, the Legislative Finance Committee and the Legislative Council will sponsor a Legislative Training Day March 3 at the Capitol in Helena.
The leadership and members of these committees understand that it is difficult for citizen legislators keep abreast of the changes in the financial situation of the state while maintaining their work and community obligations. In addition, the Legislative Council, Legislative Audit Committee, and Legislative Finance Committee will meet that week and have placed on their agendas the adoption of budget reductions for the Legislative Branch.
With the large changes that have occurred in the revenue forecast, the governor's proposed implementation of reductions to the current budget, and a more complete understanding of pension costs, now is the right time to bring legislators together to provide valuable training to better understand these issues and how they will impact the 2011 legislative session. Legislators will be better informed and responsive to the needs of the people of Montana in these tough economic times.
To mitigate additional expense, the training was scheduled to coincide with the previously scheduled meetings of four legislative committees: Legislative Council, Audit, and Finance Committees and the Environmental Quality Council. Travel expenses for legislators not already in town for another meeting will be provided for one night of lodging, mileage, and a breakfast, but salary will not be provided.
For those who cannot attend, the training will be broadcast over the state public-access television network TVMT, audio-streamed from the legislative Web site (leg.mt.gov), and recorded for future reference. The general public also may observe the budget training online or via TVMT.
The program will include:
general budget training;
a budget update for the current biennium and need for reductions;
updates on the current revenue forecasts;
a budget forecast for the next biennium;
an update from a state and national perspective on the implementation of the federal stimulus package and the state HB 645;
an update on the pension systems' unfunded liabilities and potential implications to state and local governments; and
an update on education, health and human services, and corrections budgets for the current and following biennia.
A representative of the Council of State Governments, Chris Whatley, will provide the national perspective on the stimulus package. He has been tracking the new jobs proposals coming out of the White House and Congress and determining how these proposals could impact both state budgets and state economic development efforts.
The training will be conducted by the staff of the Legislative Fiscal Division with participation by the research analysts and attorneys of the Legislative Services Division who staff the interim committees to provide integrated staff resources for the legislators. This is one of the Legislative Council's initiatives to provide greater support to the legislators.
For more information, contact Amy Carlson, Legislative Fiscal Analyst, at 406-444-2988 or acarlson@mt.gov, or Susan Byorth Fox, Executive Director of the Legislative Services Division, at 406-444-3066 or sfox@mt.gov.
