Fiscal Notes

A fiscal note is an objective estimate of the fiscal impact a bill would have to Western if it  becomes law to help legislators, legislative staff, lobbyists, journalists, and the public evaluate a bill. When a bill that may impact higher education is schedule for a hearing, the Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) in Olympia sends a fiscal note request to Western’s Budget and Financial Planning office. Most requests are made during the state's legislative session which starts the second Monday of January and is 60 days long in even-numbered years and 105 days long in odd-numbered years. 

Budget and Financial Planning (BFP) has primary responsibility for responding to a fiscal note request.  Once a request is received, the university has 72 hours to respond. This tight turnaround is needed to ensure that OFM has time to review the fiscal note prior to distributing it to legislative aides. BFP staff analyze the proposed bill to determine which areas of the university would be affected if it were passed into law and often contacts subject matter experts to gather the information needed to evaluate the potential fiscal impacts.

• Fiscal notes do not evaluate the merits of a bill. The goal is to clearly and objectively state what the costs and revenues would be if the bill were passed into law – nothing else.
• Given the narrow scope of a fiscal note and the limited time available for completion, fiscal notes are short.
• When thinking about the possible fiscal impact of a bill, all program costs must be considered including staff salary and benefits, equipment, space, revenue streams, and other long-term costs.
• Fiscal notes are not expected to be absolutely precise, but they do need to be the best estimate of revenue and costs because if a bill passes funding allocations to Western can be based on the costs estimated in the fiscal note.