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1. What is the Office of Fiscal Analysis (OFA)?
2. How many people work in OFA?
3. How is OFA organized?
4. What are the assignments of OFA staff?
5. Is there a listing of how specific state agencies are assigned?
6. What kinds of things does OFA do?
7. What is OFA’s role in the budget process?
8. What is a fiscal note?
9. When does OFA prepare fiscal notes?
10. How long does it take for a fiscal note to get posted on the web once it is completed?
11. What does OFA not do?
12. How can I obtain information from OFA?
13. As a legislator or staff member, is there anything I should know when I ask for information?
14. How long will it take to get an answer?
15. Can I get an answer sooner than two weeks?
16. Is my request with OFA confidential?
17. Are OFA reports publicly available?
18. Where can I find copies of OFA reports?
19. What kind of information is available from OFA?

1. What is the Office of Fiscal Analysis ("OFA")?

OFA, the Office of Fiscal Analysis, is the nonpartisan fiscal research and analysis office for the Connecticut General Assembly.  OFA was created in 1973 to provide a source of fiscal information and analysis that both Democrats and Republicans could rely on as unbiased and independent.

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2. How many people work in OFA?

Currently, 23 permanent full time employees work in OFA, including 19 analysts.

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3. How is OFA organized?

OFA is organized into four general subject areas: Capital Investment, Statewide Issues, Human Services, and Justice and Regulation.  Each unit has a supervisory analyst and three to five analysts within it.  Each analyst is assigned to a group of budgeted state agencies, accounts or revenue area.

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4. What are the assignments of OFA staff?

Click here for a listing of staff by general assignments.

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5. Is there a listing of how specific state agencies are assigned to OFA staff?

Yes, click here to see the list.

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6. What kinds of things does OFA do?

OFA primarily provides support for the Appropriations and Finance committees but also assists in staffing (along with the Office of Legislative Research and the Legislative Commissioner’s Office) the 24 other legislative standing committees.

Specifically, OFA:

• analyzes the fiscal impact of proposed legislation and other proposals;

• reviews and analyze state agency budgets;

•  tracks, estimates and forecasts state expenditures and revenues;

•  assists in developing the state’s biennial budget and tax plans; and

• writes reports that answer fiscal questions.

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7. What is OFA’s role in the budget process?

Prior to the Governor’s budget address in February, OFA reviews state agency budget requests and formulates estimates of agency budgetary needs.  Once the Governor’s budget recommendations are released, OFA analyzes the recommendations and assists the Appropriations and Finance committees in developing their own recommendations.  Later, OFA assists legislative leadership in developing final budget and tax proposals.  Click here for more detail on the process.

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8. What is a fiscal note?

A fiscal note is a brief statement of the fiscal impact that a piece of legislation would have on state and local government.  The economic or social impact of the legislation is not included.  See our 2002 Fiscal Note Compilation document for links to various examples of fiscal notes.  OFA prepared more than 3,100 fiscal notes during the 2002 session.

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9. When does OFA prepare fiscal notes?

A fiscal note is required on every bill that is approved by a committee or that reaches the floor of the House or Senate.  It is also required on all amendments.

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10. How long does it take for a fiscal note to get posted on the web once it is completed?

It depends on the type of legislation.

Bill: If the fiscal note relates to a bill it will be publicly available on the Internet once the files are printed (usually within 24 hours).  Note: The printed document containing the bill, fiscal note and bill analysis is known as “the file.”

Emergency Certification Bill: A fiscal note on an Emergency Certification bill appears much sooner, usually within 20 minutes from the time it is processed in OFA.  This shortened timeframe is possible since these bills are not printed as “files” and therefore are not subject to lengthier processing.

Amendment: A fiscal note on an amendment that has been filed with the clerk of either the House or the Senate will appear in approximately 5 minutes from the time it is finalized in OFA.

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11. What does OFA not do?

OFA does not:

• provide legal opinions;
• conduct research or analysis for the media, lobbyists or students’ papers;
• ask questions or give testimony at public hearings;
• prepare fiscal notes on proposed bills or bills that have not been favorably reported (approved) by a committee (Note: we can prepare informal estimates when requested in certain cases); or
• participate directly in floor debates.

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12. How can I obtain information from OFA?

You can:

•  call the main phone number at 240-0200;

•  sign up here to receive e-mail notices when new OFA reports are placed on our website;

•  e-mail us at ofa@cga.ct.gov; or

• write or visit us at:

Office of Fiscal Analysis
Legislative Office Building, Room 5200
Hartford, CT 06106-1591
http://www.cga.ct.gov/ofa/

You can also contact the analyst directly.  See the staff assignments by general issue area or by agency on our website for further information and individual e-mail addresses.

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13. As a legislator or staff member, is there anything I should know when I ask for information?

Yes, try to frame your question as specifically as possible.  Providing some background on what you hope to receive from us will help us provide you with what you expect.  Poorly defined questions can yield results that do not meet your needs and can delay the completion of your request.

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14. How long will it take to get an answer?

We try to handle all requests within two weeks.  Two weeks usually gives us enough time to produce a quality result.  If it is a complex request, or we have encountered difficulties during our analysis, we will contact you and explain the need for more time.

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15. Can I get an answer sooner than two weeks?

Absolutely, when we have the information in-house or the request is not complex.  But it is important to bear in mind that as our preparation time is reduced, the chances of a complete and accurate response are also decreased.

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16. Is my request with OFA confidential?

Yes.  We understand that our relationship with legislators and caucus staff may sometimes give us confidential information and our role may sometimes place us in a position between parties with different viewpoints, but our duty is to provide objective, unbiased information and service.  We do not advocate policy positions on any issue before the General Assembly or attempt to influence the outcome of any legislation.

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17. Are OFA reports publicly available?

Yes.  Reports that are produced on a routine and periodic basis are publicly available within 2 days of completion.  Reports on specific topics that are prepared at legislative request become public three days after the requestor receives the original.

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18. Where can I find copies of OFA reports?

Our major reports are available on our website Reports Page.  Try our Search feature to find specific documents.  Hardcopies of these and other reports are available by contacting our office.

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19. What kind of information is available from OFA?

We routinely produce a range of reports on statewide budgetary issues such as budgetary projections and a year-end analysis of the state’s major funds but our most requested item is our annual budget book publication.  Click here to view the 2002 budget book. 

This document contains a comprehensive and detailed listing of state agency appropriations and budgetary data, legislative intent, revenue and tax information and capital budgeting detail.  During the legislative session we utilize working versions of the agency budget format that is contained in the year-end budget book.  Check our Recent Documents page during the session for updates to these documents when they become publicly available.

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