Cargill Presses Agency Consolidation
Building on House Republican efforts to increase government accountability and efficiency, House Speaker Lance Cargill on Wednesday announced that he will press to consolidate more than a dozen state agencies with other state functions, beginning this legislative session.
"We will press for modernization and change in state government,” said Cargill (R-Harrah). “The bottom line is that many state agencies are duplicating what other parts of state government do. I'm sure the defenders of the status quo will fight our efforts, but Oklahoma’s state government has simply grown too large. There are nearly 100 state agencies, and the average citizen must confront an alphabet's soup of acronyms and confusing red tape. That’s not serving the taxpayers well. Oklahoma can do better.”
Cargill said the House will advance consolidation and streamlining efforts for a number of state agencies. At the top of the list: the ABLE Commission and the Oklahoma Department of Mines.
Cargill said that Oklahoma’s Alcoholic Beverage Laws & Enforcement Commission (ABLE) performs functions that can be consolidated into many different state entities to achieve better efficiency, while the state’s Department of Mines has struggled to keep pace in recent years with information technology and personnel requirements. Cargill said the Department of Mines could be easily combined with the Department of Labor.
"We are also examining other state agencies we think are ripe for future consolidation, and we will be developing specific plans for them," said Cargill. As an example, the Speaker pointed to the Oklahoma Commission on Consumer Credit as one possibility.Among the other agencies that the House proposes to combine into other state functions this year are the Scenic Rivers Commission, the Centennial Commission, the Will Rogers Memorial Commission, and the Water Resources Board.
The drive for agency consolidation comes close on the heels of House Republicans’ efforts to eliminate outdated boards and commissions and to launch a statewide effort to cut back on government waste, all part of the House GOP's "Year of Ideas" legislative agenda.
Cargill has authored House Bill 2111 to eliminate nearly 20 boards, commissions and task forces in state government. “We found that in many cases these various groups were still on the books but hadn’t met in years or had finished their work a long time ago,” said Cargill. He has also authored House Bill 2110 to create a BRAC-style commission that will provide recommendations on consolidating state agencies and shuttering outdated functions. If approved, this Commission on Accountability and Review of State Agencies (CARSA) will make recommendations next year to the Legislature that will require an up or down vote.
“Combined with our strong legislation this year, our efforts to cut back on bloated bureaucracy shows we’re serious about taking action now,” said Cargill. “This is just the beginning of a comprehensive effort to make state government more accountable to our state’s citizens."
"We will press for modernization and change in state government,” said Cargill (R-Harrah). “The bottom line is that many state agencies are duplicating what other parts of state government do. I'm sure the defenders of the status quo will fight our efforts, but Oklahoma’s state government has simply grown too large. There are nearly 100 state agencies, and the average citizen must confront an alphabet's soup of acronyms and confusing red tape. That’s not serving the taxpayers well. Oklahoma can do better.”
Cargill said the House will advance consolidation and streamlining efforts for a number of state agencies. At the top of the list: the ABLE Commission and the Oklahoma Department of Mines.
Cargill said that Oklahoma’s Alcoholic Beverage Laws & Enforcement Commission (ABLE) performs functions that can be consolidated into many different state entities to achieve better efficiency, while the state’s Department of Mines has struggled to keep pace in recent years with information technology and personnel requirements. Cargill said the Department of Mines could be easily combined with the Department of Labor.
"We are also examining other state agencies we think are ripe for future consolidation, and we will be developing specific plans for them," said Cargill. As an example, the Speaker pointed to the Oklahoma Commission on Consumer Credit as one possibility.Among the other agencies that the House proposes to combine into other state functions this year are the Scenic Rivers Commission, the Centennial Commission, the Will Rogers Memorial Commission, and the Water Resources Board.
The drive for agency consolidation comes close on the heels of House Republicans’ efforts to eliminate outdated boards and commissions and to launch a statewide effort to cut back on government waste, all part of the House GOP's "Year of Ideas" legislative agenda.
Cargill has authored House Bill 2111 to eliminate nearly 20 boards, commissions and task forces in state government. “We found that in many cases these various groups were still on the books but hadn’t met in years or had finished their work a long time ago,” said Cargill. He has also authored House Bill 2110 to create a BRAC-style commission that will provide recommendations on consolidating state agencies and shuttering outdated functions. If approved, this Commission on Accountability and Review of State Agencies (CARSA) will make recommendations next year to the Legislature that will require an up or down vote.
“Combined with our strong legislation this year, our efforts to cut back on bloated bureaucracy shows we’re serious about taking action now,” said Cargill. “This is just the beginning of a comprehensive effort to make state government more accountable to our state’s citizens."
Labels: House GOP Agenda, Lance Cargill
posted by Mike McCarville @ 10:09 AM
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