2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 24 - Legislature and Laws › §24:521. Actuarial notes

RS 24:521 - Actuarial notes
A. Every bill, joint resolution, and simple or concurrent resolution introduced in the legislature proposing any change in the law relative to any state, municipal or parochial retirement system, funded in whole or in part out of public funds shall have attached to it at the time of its consideration by any committee of either house of the legislature a brief explanatory statement or note which shall include a reliable estimate of the fiscal and actuarial effect of the proposed change in any such retirement system. The statement or note shall be known as an actuarial note. Such note shall be attached to the original of each proposed bill or resolution which is reported favorably by any committee of either house of the legislature, but shall be separate therefrom, shall be clearly designated as an actuarial note, and shall not constitute a part of the law or other provisions or expression of legislative intent proposed by the bill or resolution.
B.(1) Subject to the provisions of this Subsection, for each bill or resolution for which an actuarial note is required as provided in Subsection A of this Section, a request for an actuarial note shall be presented to the legislative auditor who shall have the duty to prepare the note as promptly as possible. The actuarial note for any bill prefiled at least forty-five days prior to a regular session of the legislature shall be completed and filed at least five days prior to the convening of that session. Actuarial notes shall be prepared in the order of receipt of request for such notes.
(2) Within seven days after the transmittal to the author of the bill or resolution along with a memorandum indicating the bill or resolution may require an actuarial note, the author may instruct, in writing addressed to the chief clerical officer of the house in which the member serves, that an actuarial note be obtained or that no actuarial note be obtained. If the author instructs that no actuarial note be obtained, no request for an actuarial note will be made prior to the prefiling or introduction of the bill or resolution, except as provided in Paragraph (3) of this Subsection. Each written instruction received shall be recorded and preserved in the file maintained for the bill or resolution.
(3) If no written instruction is received within the time period set in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, the chief clerical officer of the house in which the author is a member may request an actuarial note for the bill or resolution at any time prior to prefiling or introduction. In determining whether an actuarial note should be requested, due consideration shall be given to the recommendation of the staff of the house in which the author is a member.
(4) In addition, at prefiling or introduction, the chief clerical officer may request an actuarial note, and the chairman of the committee to which such bill or resolution is referred may request an actuarial note immediately upon referral of the bill or resolution.
C. The note shall be factual in nature, as brief and concise as may be, and shall, if possible, provide a reliable estimate in dollars. In addition, it shall include both the immediate effect and, if determinable or reasonably foreseeable, the long range fiscal and actuarial effect of the measure. The fiscal and actuarial effect of the measure shall include any impact on the costs to or the revenues of the retirement system and the estimated fiscal impact on governmental entities, including the effect on federal, state, and local funds. If, after careful investigation, it is determined that no dollar estimate is possible, the note shall set forth the reasons why no dollar estimate can be given. No comment or opinion shall be included in the actuarial note with regard to the merit, or lack thereof, of the measure for which the note is prepared. However, technical or mechanical defects may be noted.
D. At any time any committee of either house reports any legislative instrument, to which an actuarial note was attached at the time of committee consideration, with any amendment of such nature as would substantially affect the costs to or the revenues of any retirement system or the estimated fiscal impact on governmental entities, including the effect on federal, state, and local funds as stated in the actuarial note attached to the measure at the time of such consideration, it shall be the responsibility of the chairman of the committee reporting such instrument to obtain from the legislative auditor an actuarial note of the fiscal and actuarial effect of the change proposed by the amendment reported. The actuarial note shall be attached to the report of the committee on the measure as a supplement thereto, but shall not be printed in the journal. At any time a floor amendment is offered in either house to any bill or resolution to which an actuarial note was attached at the time of committee consideration or committee report, which amendment would substantially affect the cost to or the revenues of any retirement system or the estimated fiscal impact on governmental entities, including the effect on federal, state, and local funds as stated in the most recent actuarial note, and the member proposing such amendment does not present to the house an actuarial note prepared by the legislative auditor as to the fiscal and actuarial effect of his proposed amendment, any member may offer a motion that the proposed amendment be withdrawn. If the motion is adopted by the favorable vote of a majority of the quorum present the amendment shall be deemed to be withdrawn, though the amendment may be proposed again at any time it would otherwise be in order, provided that the required actuarial note is presented at that time.
E. Prior to the prefiling or introduction, the subject matter of bills or resolutions submitted to the legislative auditor for preparation of the required information for said actuarial notes shall be kept in strict confidence, and no information relating thereto or relating to the fiscal or actuarial effect of any such bill or resolution shall be divulged by the legislative auditor or any of his employees, except to the author or authors of the bill or resolution, the chief clerical officer and the staff of the house in which the author serves, and the legislative fiscal officer and his staff. After prefiling or introduction, copies of the actuarial note on any bill or resolution shall be furnished to the author, the chief clerical officer of the house in which the author is a member, and the committee to which the bill or resolution is referred.
Acts 1991, No. 610, §1, eff. Dec. 31, 1991; Acts 2001, No. 1102, §5; Acts 2016, No. 176, §1; Acts 2016, No. 353, §1.