The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part of the
legislative instrument, were prepared by Ben Huxen.
DIGEST
SB 187 Engrossed 2017 Regular Session Hewitt
Proposed law provides that the legislative staff of the Senate and the House of Representatives shall
develop guidelines to incorporate the provisions of the proposed law to establish a pilot
evidence-based budget proposal process for adult mental health programs administered by the
Louisiana Department of Health. The guidelines shall be submitted to the Joint Legislative
Committee on the Budget on or before July 1, 2018, for review and approval. The proposal shall
include guidelines to utilize program catalogues, program inventory, promising practices, and
research-based programs. No later than July 1, 2019, when possible, the Louisiana Department of
Health shall use the guidelines for evidence-based budgeting to select programs for the delivery of
care for adult mental health.
Proposed law provides that the legislative staff of the Senate and the House of Representatives shall
work in conjunction with the Louisiana Department of Health to:
(1)Inventory programs.
(2)Categorize all agency programs and activities as evidence-based, research-based, promising
practices, or other programs and activities with no evidence of effectiveness, and compile
them into an agency program inventory. In categorizing programs, the staffs may consult the
Washington State Institute for Public Policy's Evidence-Based Practices Institute's program
catalogue, the Results First Clearinghouse Database, or any other comparable catalogue of
evidence-based programs.
(3)Determine benefit-cost ratios for all evidence-based programs in the selected policy areas.
Effective July 1, 2017.
(Adds R.S. 39:2(13.1), (33.1), (36.1), (36.2), (37.1), (37.2), (37.3), (40.1), and 87.7; repeals R.S.
39:2(38) and (39))
Summary of Amendments Adopted by Senate
Committee Amendments Proposed by Senate Committee on Finance to the original bill
1. Deletes provisions providing that, beginning with the Fiscal Year 2019 budget cycle,
the Legislative Fiscal Office shall require all agencies with responsibilities to deliver
services in the areas of child welfare, mental health, and substance abuse (including
local entities that receive state funding for these areas), to comply with certain requirements with respect to the inventorying of agency programs and the
computation of benefit-cost ratios for use in the budgeting process.
2. Deletes provisions requiring the Legislative Fiscal Office to report to the Joint
Legislative Committee on the Budget the results of all activities, with
recommendations for further evaluation of research-based or promising practices
programs, the elimination or replacement of ineffective programs, and the funding
of effective programs, based on benefit-cost ratios and the learnings gained.
3. Deletes provisions specifying that the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget
may incorporate such recommendations into the Fiscal Year 2019 budget and
appropriations bills, or delay such incorporation until the committee is satisfied that
the information collected and inventoried will enhance accountability and
performance measurement for the programs and activities of state agencies.
4. Deletes provisions requiring the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget to, no
later than the 2020 Regular Session of the Legislature, make a recommendation to
the legislature regarding the application of the processes and requirements of this
Section to other policy areas with evidenced-based programs.
5. Changes responsibility from the Legislative Fiscal Office to the legislative staff of
the Senate and the House of Representatives.
6. Requires that legislative staff of the Senate and the House of Representatives shall
develop guidelines to incorporate the provisions of the proposed law to establish a
pilot evidence-based budget proposal process for adult mental health programs
administered by the Louisiana Department of Health. The guidelines shall be
submitted to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget on or before July 1,
2018, for review and approval. The proposal shall include guidelines to utilize
program catalogues, program inventory, promising practices, and research-based
programs. No later than July 1, 2019, when possible, the Louisiana Department of
Health shall use the guidelines for evidence-based budgeting to select programs for
the delivery of care for adult mental health.