Report: Fiscal notes for W.Va. legislation flawed

A new report says the Legislature should change the way fiscal notes are prepared for legislation.
 
     The report from the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy says fiscal notes are generally inaccurate, often biased, inconsistent and lacking in details.
 
     Fiscal notes are estimates of the costs of legislation. They are prepared by the state agencies that the legislation would affect.
 
     Forty-three of the Legislature’s 134 members responded to a survey for the report. Thirty-seven percent of the respondents said fiscal notes accurately determine the costs of legislation less than half the time.
 
     The report recommends that a neutral and independent entity review and finalize fiscal notes. It also recommends establishing and enforcing criteria and standards that fiscal notes must meet.