Demographic Notes For Certain Legislative Bills

The bill requires the staff of the legislative council to prepare demographic notes on legislative bills in each regular session of the general assembly. The speaker of the house of representatives, the minority leader of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, and the minority leader of the senate are authorized to request 5 demographic notes each, or more at the discretion of the director of research of the legislative council.

The bill requires the staff of the legislative council to meet with the member of leadership requesting the demographic note and with the sponsor of the legislative bill to discuss whether a demographic note can practically be completed for that legislative bill. If not, the member of leadership may request a demographic note, within the limits specified in the bill, on a different legislative bill that might be more conducive to a demographic note's analysis.

A demographic note is defined as a note that uses available data to outline the potential disparate effects of a legislative measure on various populations within the state. Populations may be identified by race, gender, disability, age, geography, income, or any other relevant characteristic for which data are available.

The bill requires the director of research to develop the procedures for requesting, completing, and updating the demographic notes and to memorialize the procedures in a letter to the executive committee of the legislative council.

Finally, the bill requires each state department, agency, or institution to cooperate with and provide information for a demographic note of a legislative bill in the manner requested by the staff of the legislative council.

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)