STATEMENT ON THE CALL FOR FISCAL NOTES BY HOUSE MINORITY CAUCUS
by Frances Nuar, Policy Analyst at the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
“Honolulu, Hawaii—The Grassroot Institute applauds the House Minority Caucus for including fiscal note legislation in its 2011 legislative package.
“House minority leader Gene Ward said the Republicans would ‘be the watchdogs for fiscal discipline and controlling government spending’ and ‘insist on a more open and accountable government, especially when it comes to finances and education’.
“Fiscal notes provide legislators with an estimate of the cost of bills under consideration; they are essentially price tags for pieces of legislation. Until now, our state legislators have been going shopping—with our money—without looking at the price tags.
“Grassroot Institute research has discovered that Hawaii is the only state in the country whose legislators do not use fiscal notes to determine the fiscal impact of bills. We look forward to Hawaii’s legislators proving they’re serious about fiscal responsibility by implementing fiscal notes this legislative session.”
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii is an independent, non-partisan think tank based in Honolulu. The Institute’s mission is to achieve a freer and more prosperous Hawaii through the principles of free markets, individual liberty and limited, more accountable government.
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