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Legislating for Results Project

The Urban Institute and National Conference of State Legislatures have recently begun an effort to provide state legislators and their staffs with information aimed at increasing their understanding of the potential use of performance measurement information, particularly the use of "outcome" information (however a state defines the term) in the legislative process.

As part of this "Legislating-For-Results" work, UI and NCSL are seeking input from legislative program evaluation and audit staff. They ask for help on two key elements:

1. What messages would you like to see given to legislators and their staffs about performance measurement and their use of that information? This might, for example, include suggestions on cautions, particular steps the legislature could undertake to make the process work better, how the legislature could use the performance data, and uses or procedures that are not appropriate.
2. Examples of actual specific uses by legislatures, whether by individual legislators, legislative committees, or by legislative staffs. The examples might be of good or bad uses. The examples might, for example, be of situations in which:

• The presence of outcome data clearly influenced a budget or policy decision;

• Where you believe that the debate on programs or policies has changed substantially to include a more explicit focus on the outcomes sought, and not only on funding, FTEs, and outputs. The UI and NCSL team would appreciate your providing as much detail as you can. Please include contact information on each example so the team can subsequently obtain more details.

Harry Hatry, Director of the Urban Institute's Public Management Program, is the lead person for the Urban Institute. Judy Zelio, of NCSL's Fiscal Affairs Program, is the lead for NCSL.

Please provide your suggestions to Harry at hhatry@ui.urban.org; fax to 202-872-8154; or mail to 2100 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20037. He, or Judy 303-839-0233, would be pleased to provide further information.

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