GOP House Leaders Unveil 2008 Agenda Items
Republican House leaders unveiled plans today to make state government more modern and efficient, which will be a cornerstone of their agenda this legislative session.
A variety of bills will be carried this session that will move state government in this direction, including upgrades in technology, improvements to the state’s procurement process and the consolidation of agencies with similar purposes, the leadership said in a news release.
“It is without a doubt I say our state government could be, and should be, run more efficiently,” said House Speaker Lance Cargill. “For decades this bloated bureaucracy has gone unchecked; that stops this year.”
Many of the reforms were formulated in this summer’s House interim study, which analyzed a 2006 report from IBM that was only recently released publicly. The report identified at least $70 million in savings if the state put in place industry best practices when it comes to purchasing.
Legislation, called the Centennial Savings Act, will delve into these best practices to see which ones would be most applicable in Oklahoma and should be implemented.
Technological advances have passed this state by, and it is time we catch up, said Rep. Ken Miller, vice-chairman of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee. We must move past the days where companies are forced submit paper bids. Our state must be able to keep track of what it is spending its money on. The state should have a chief technology officer, who would assess technology needs and determine how the state can do more business online, including electronic bidding, Miller said.
“We need to look out for the taxpayers, not the technological dinosaurs who don’t want to use the Internet,” said Miller, R-Edmond.
The state’s permitting should also be streamlined and put online, the release said. For example, currently Oklahomans have as many as seven different water agencies to go to when seeking a water permit. A bill carried by Rep. Dale DeWitt this year would create a water web portal, where Oklahomans could go to see which agency has jurisdiction over the permit they need. Eventually, citizens would then be able to apply for that permit online, streamlining the process for both the government and taxpayer.
Agency consolidation will also be a large part of making our government more efficient, said Rep. Lee Denney.
House Republicans tried unsuccessfully last year to create a Commission on Accountability and Review of State Agencies, which would continually audit agencies to ensure taxpayer funds are spent as efficiently as possible. This year, the push for this new commission will continue.
Several bills will move to consolidate agencies in the state with duplicative functions. House Bill 3381 by Rep. John Wright, R-Tulsa, will split the functions of the Consumer Credit Agency into existing entities, such as the Banking Commission, that are better equipped to deal with the issues those businesses face.
Another bill will combine the Used Motor Vehicle Parts Commission and the Oklahoma Motor Vehicle Commission. The Human Rights Commission would be moved into the Attorney General’s office under one bill, and ABLE would be split between the Oklahoma Tax Commission and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics in another.
These consolidations would lead to less overhead and administrative costs and would encourage more cooperation among similar agencies, said Denney, R-Cushing. They will also make state government more user-friendly and easier to navigate.
The government modernization plank also includes some long-term plans that should be studied. Oklahoma has the longest state constitution in the country, and revising the outdated document as we move into our second century is something that deserves consideration.
The state also has one of the weakest executive branches in the country, yet we have more state employees and agencies, boards and commissions than any state our size, said Rep. Scott Martin, R-Norman. The governor needs to have additional appointee power to give him some direct oversight of some of these smaller boards and agencies.
Some of these reforms will lead to savings in the short-term, while others will benefit the state in years to come, but all will lead to a more streamlined government and many will have cost savings that can then be put to other priorities, he added. Keeping better track of the state’s surplus inventory and conducting a comprehensive review of non-core or non-performing state-owned assets would also likely net savings.
“This weekend the governor suggested in an editorial that we dedicate more of our energy taxes to funds like EDGE and OCAST. While I am not yet convinced that funding source is the best option, there is no bigger supporter of knowledge-based initiatives like EDGE, OCAST and OMRF, than me,” said Cargill, R-Harrah.
“As we work to make our government more efficient, millions of dollars in savings could be put back into creating long-term spending and tax cut plans for our state. For years this was seen as an either/or option,” he said. “With the proper planning, and saving money where we can through agency consolidation or technology improvements, we can continue historic investments in education and transportation and still have enough money left over to share those economic fruits with research and the taxpayers. The key is focusing on long-term planning instead of worrying about tomorrow’s headlines.”
A variety of bills will be carried this session that will move state government in this direction, including upgrades in technology, improvements to the state’s procurement process and the consolidation of agencies with similar purposes, the leadership said in a news release.
“It is without a doubt I say our state government could be, and should be, run more efficiently,” said House Speaker Lance Cargill. “For decades this bloated bureaucracy has gone unchecked; that stops this year.”
Many of the reforms were formulated in this summer’s House interim study, which analyzed a 2006 report from IBM that was only recently released publicly. The report identified at least $70 million in savings if the state put in place industry best practices when it comes to purchasing.
Legislation, called the Centennial Savings Act, will delve into these best practices to see which ones would be most applicable in Oklahoma and should be implemented.
Technological advances have passed this state by, and it is time we catch up, said Rep. Ken Miller, vice-chairman of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee. We must move past the days where companies are forced submit paper bids. Our state must be able to keep track of what it is spending its money on. The state should have a chief technology officer, who would assess technology needs and determine how the state can do more business online, including electronic bidding, Miller said.
“We need to look out for the taxpayers, not the technological dinosaurs who don’t want to use the Internet,” said Miller, R-Edmond.
The state’s permitting should also be streamlined and put online, the release said. For example, currently Oklahomans have as many as seven different water agencies to go to when seeking a water permit. A bill carried by Rep. Dale DeWitt this year would create a water web portal, where Oklahomans could go to see which agency has jurisdiction over the permit they need. Eventually, citizens would then be able to apply for that permit online, streamlining the process for both the government and taxpayer.
Agency consolidation will also be a large part of making our government more efficient, said Rep. Lee Denney.
House Republicans tried unsuccessfully last year to create a Commission on Accountability and Review of State Agencies, which would continually audit agencies to ensure taxpayer funds are spent as efficiently as possible. This year, the push for this new commission will continue.
Several bills will move to consolidate agencies in the state with duplicative functions. House Bill 3381 by Rep. John Wright, R-Tulsa, will split the functions of the Consumer Credit Agency into existing entities, such as the Banking Commission, that are better equipped to deal with the issues those businesses face.
Another bill will combine the Used Motor Vehicle Parts Commission and the Oklahoma Motor Vehicle Commission. The Human Rights Commission would be moved into the Attorney General’s office under one bill, and ABLE would be split between the Oklahoma Tax Commission and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics in another.
These consolidations would lead to less overhead and administrative costs and would encourage more cooperation among similar agencies, said Denney, R-Cushing. They will also make state government more user-friendly and easier to navigate.
The government modernization plank also includes some long-term plans that should be studied. Oklahoma has the longest state constitution in the country, and revising the outdated document as we move into our second century is something that deserves consideration.
The state also has one of the weakest executive branches in the country, yet we have more state employees and agencies, boards and commissions than any state our size, said Rep. Scott Martin, R-Norman. The governor needs to have additional appointee power to give him some direct oversight of some of these smaller boards and agencies.
Some of these reforms will lead to savings in the short-term, while others will benefit the state in years to come, but all will lead to a more streamlined government and many will have cost savings that can then be put to other priorities, he added. Keeping better track of the state’s surplus inventory and conducting a comprehensive review of non-core or non-performing state-owned assets would also likely net savings.
“This weekend the governor suggested in an editorial that we dedicate more of our energy taxes to funds like EDGE and OCAST. While I am not yet convinced that funding source is the best option, there is no bigger supporter of knowledge-based initiatives like EDGE, OCAST and OMRF, than me,” said Cargill, R-Harrah.
“As we work to make our government more efficient, millions of dollars in savings could be put back into creating long-term spending and tax cut plans for our state. For years this was seen as an either/or option,” he said. “With the proper planning, and saving money where we can through agency consolidation or technology improvements, we can continue historic investments in education and transportation and still have enough money left over to share those economic fruits with research and the taxpayers. The key is focusing on long-term planning instead of worrying about tomorrow’s headlines.”
Labels: House Republican 2008 Agenda
posted by Mike McCarville @ 12:12 PM
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