Representative Bill Mercer opened a hearing on House Bill 834, a proposal to create a commission to study and coordinate performance‑based budgeting and outcome measurement between the legislative and executive branches.

Mercer told the committee the bill is modeled on multi‑state efforts (notably New Mexico’s program) to tie appropriations to measurable outcomes. "We’re after the creation of a commission to take a deeper dive… how do we effectively collaborate between the legislative branch and the executive branch in terms of figuring out what resources are needed and how they're gonna be implemented and how we're gonna evaluate what's being done," Mercer said.

Lou Jones, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, urged support and described the effort as a means to concentrate limited resources on the programs that produce results. "You ought to spend 80% of your effort on that 20% that really matters," Jones said, summarizing the bill’s rationale for outcome‑oriented budgeting and improved accountability.

Informational witnesses included Amy Carlson, legislative fiscal analyst, who described MARA (modernization and risk assessment) as a legislative data‑infrastructure effort to build and deliver tools and datasets to inform policy; Ryan Evans from the governor’s budget office said the governor’s office has had discussions with sponsors and is open to the concept but will review the bill as it is finalized; and Angus McKeer, director of the legislative audit division, described the evaluative role audits and hands‑on examination must play to supplement data-driven tools.

Members asked about commission composition and voting balance, the pace and cadence of data collection and reporting, whether the executive branch would participate, and safeguards to avoid unintended consequences from measurement. Representative Byrne asked specifically about legislative representation on the proposed commission; witnesses acknowledged the structure could be tweaked and urged collaboration between branches.

Proponents said the bill would build on work already under way (MARA and interim budget reviews), create stronger evidence for appropriation decisions, and help the legislature assess program effectiveness over changes in administrations. Informational witnesses encouraged a deliberate design that pairs data infrastructure with evaluation capacity and preserves legislative control over budget decisions.

Ending: The committee heard extensive informational testimony and did not take a formal vote. Sponsors urged the committee to grant a do‑pass recommendation and continue interbranch work to implement an evaluation and outcome framework.