The General Assembly maintains a list of all fiscal, actuarial, and incarceration notes, which is located here: Find Fiscal Notes.
Fiscal notes are public documents at the time of publication and can only be written for bills that have been formally introduced. Fiscal memos remain confidential between staff and the member who requested the memo. Memos can also be written for draft legislation and Proposed Committee Substitutes (PCS), not just for bills that have been formally introduced.
Request a Fiscal Note, Fiscal Memo, Actuarial Note, or Incarceration Note
Email: FRD – Fiscal Note Requests
Legislators or their staff should email the above address to request fiscal notes, memos, and/or incarceration notes. Your request should include the requestor’s name, the bill/draft number, and the bill or bill draft’s short title. Please call (919) 733-4910 if you have any questions or need assistance.
Types of Notes Prepared by the Fiscal Research Division
Fiscal Note
A public document that estimates all direct effects of a bill on the expenditures or revenues of units of State or local government. Fiscal note analyses cover five fiscal years beginning with the upcoming fiscal year. A fiscal note is prepared on an introduced bill at the request of a member.
Actuarial Note
A public document that is completed for every bill, resolution, or amendment introduced in the General Assembly that proposes a change in the retirement, hospital, medical, disability, or related benefits for State and local employees.
Incarceration Note
A public document on bills, resolutions, or amendments introduced in the General Assembly “proposing any change in the law that could cause a net increase in the length of time for which persons are incarcerated or the number of persons incarcerated, whether by increasing penalties for violating existing laws, by criminalizing behavior, or by any other means” (G.S. 120-36.7(d)).
Information for Agencies Preparing Fiscal Note Data and Estimates
Frequently, the Fiscal Research Division relies on other agencies to provide estimates and data to be used in the preparation of Fiscal Notes. The following link provides a template for agencies’ submissions to the Fiscal Research Division.