| Description |
Fiscal analysis plays an indispensable role in Utah's legislative process. Utah's constitutional requirements and culture of fiscal conservatism have contributed to the construction of existing arrangements in this area. To better assess its influence on legislative decision-making, I analyzed existing literature and interviewed current or former legislators, fiscal analysts, as well as executive staff and other public officials. Through this research, I found that fiscal analysts see themselves more as facilitators than actors while legislators and executive staff have differing views. Nevertheless, there are many variables that legislators saw in the same light. They each felt that fiscal notes are more important at some stages than others and that partisan ideology is a key determinant. On the whole, my research found that fiscal analysis matters greatly, and will continue to as long as constitutional requirements remain in place. |
