Legislation gives state Independent Fiscal Office scoring capability

The state House recently approved legislation that would give the Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) dynamic scoring capability.

Dynamic scoring would allow the agency to provide the General Assembly with informative and impactful calculations so that lawmakers can make more informed decisions.

Under the bill, the IFO would be empowered to scrutinize the fiscal impact of any legislation with state expenditures of more than $50 million. The IFO would be required to include in its revenue estimates of proposed changes the likely behavioral responses of businesses, taxpayers, and others in addition to a statement that outlines its assumptions.

“House Bill 230 would strengthen the analytics used by our IFO to more effectively identify economic options and alternatives,” Rep. Frank Ryan (R-Lebanon), who sponsored the bill, said. “We have a number of issues in Pennsylvania that we identify as critical risk factors. Dynamic scoring capability would enable us to weigh the implications of those risk factors and determine the best course of action.”

Ryan is a certified public accountant. He frequently cites IFO data when speaking about specific bills or actions and seeks the IFO’s input on issues such as the state budget, property taxes and
pensions.

The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.