Electronic Fiscal Impact Statement System

On-Line Help: What is a FIS  

   The Fiscal Impact Statement (FIS) is a 1 to 3 page analysis of a bill that focuses on any revenue or expenditure impacts that would result from the bill's passage. FISs are used by the General Assembly, the Governor's Office and others to aid in the decision making process. An annual breakout of the fiscal impact is generally provided along with a narrative explanation including the assumptions used in the analysis.

     FIS's are prepared by the Department of Taxation and the Department of Planning and Budget (DPB) and any other executive branch agency from which Planning and Budget requests assistance. Program managers impacted by legislation play an important role in determining the fiscal impact. FIS's are developed in the manner and style directed by DPB.

     FISs are updated by the author agency whenever a substantial change has been made by the General Assembly that would make the previous FIS inaccurate or outdated. A new printed version by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems (DLAS) is a good indicator that a revised FIS is necessary. DLAS prints new versions of bills, for example, when they have substitutes in committee or on the floor, and when there are substantive amendments. DPB developed an official procedure for developing FISs.

     Starting with the 2001 session, FISs are prepared through an electronic development and distribution process referred to as the Electronic Fiscal Impact Statement or EFIS system. The actual FIS document begins as a Microsoft Word document template. EFIS will enter the specific Bill information into the template when the FIS is assigned before emailing the FIS to the assigned analyst. After the analyst completes their analysis, EFIS will convert the document into an Adobe Acrobat PDF format and email the completed FIS to the Patron of the Bill, the Governor's Office, DLAS and other interested parties. DLAS incorporates the FIS into their LIS system where it becomes a public document available to anyone with an Internet browser.

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