Practical tips for working with Finance

MICHELI FILES: In talking with former staff from the Department of Finance (DOF) the past few weeks, the following are the key practical tips that were shared with me for those working with the staff members of the Governor’s Finance Department. While some of these recommendations may seem obvious, many of them bear repeating.

The following are some of the suggestions shared with me these past few weeks:

Always identify the client you are engaging on behalf of.

Approach the relevant department and agency before the DOF is it involves an implementation issue. If it involves a fiscal analysis or fiscal risk issue, then it is fine to go directly to DOF.

Be clear about what problem your bill is trying to solve as the DOF or a department may not agree that there is a problem or it may be that the problem identified can benefit from a different solution.

Don’t tell committee consultants that the DOF/Administration supports your bill language, unless their analysis has already been made public. DOF and fiscal committee staff talk to each other regularly. They have close working relationships and are likely to be more candid with each other than with you about bills.

Return phone calls and emails from DOF staff promptly. There are some lobbyists who have a bad habit of either not responding or responding after it is too late to be helpful. When DOF staff reach out to you on a bill, they are doing so for a reason and are usually under time constraints.

If the DOF is suggesting amendments, they are likely to reduce costs or reduce the risk of a mandate, so your bill is more likely to be signed. They are not likely suggestions.

Be straightforward about a bill’s strengths and weaknesses. No bill is perfect, and staff understand that any bill comes with trade-offs. Avoid puffery or excessive doom-and-gloom statements.

Don’t try to hide the backstory on your bill. For example, if a legislative proposal comes from an executive branch action or a lawsuit, disclose that fact. These facts always come out and, if they don’t come from you, you will lose credibility with staff.

In order to ensure that your meeting is as productive as possible, be transparent about the purpose of the meeting and be clear about what information you are hoping to get from the meeting. For example, it is helpful that an agenda or bulleted list of questions be provided. This way, even if a meeting is not possible, DOF can work to provide you written responses, if helpful and appropriate.

You will benefit by giving DOF staff as much lead time as possible. And, understand that, despite staff’s best efforts, you may not receive a response on your timeline.

Keep in mind the state budget and what is happening there. For example, when formulating or advancing a request, you are advised to understand how your issue may have been addressed in the Final Budget Act.

If you are advancing a proposal with a large fiscal impact, you should meet with DOF. Opening up communication regarding what you are trying to achieve and why it was not achieved in the Final Budget Act can only you to get your bill signed. Determining a funding source and mechanism can also help.

Remember that DOF must review nearly every bill, usually on the heels of an intense budget season. Be succinct and be clear about what your bill does and how it fits into current government operations.

DOF opposed a lot of bills because they result in costs that are not included in the current budget. Each opposition is not weighed equally on the merits. If you think you have a good case that your bill actually saves money over the long-term or results in avoided costs, call DOF and make your best pitch.

Be sure to review approved position from DOF on their website. Even though Finance does an analysis on fiscal bills at some point during the legislative process, those analyses are only posted on their website once the position has been approved.

Don’t pressure anyone to give you their opinion or best guess.

Keep the communication going as your legislation moves through the process.

Treat everyone in the legislative process with respect.

Above all else, be honest.