Posts Tagged ‘government reorganization’
Author: deanfiihr Published: February 16th, 2010
On a unanimous vote, the Iowa House today approved another piece of the government reorganization initiative that boosts savings so far to $272 million. As the national recession cause a steep decline in state revenues, the reorganization effort was launched last year to help balance the state budget while preserving Iowans’ priorities in education, jobs, and health care.
“The government reorganization effort approved today eliminates waste and saves millions of dollars for Iowa taxpayers. From cost-saving measures to making state government more efficient to improving the services that the state offers, our reorganization efforts so far this year total $272 million and makes our state stronger and more responsive,” said State Representative Mary Mascher of Iowa City, who won approval of the bill.
The goal of Senate File 2088 is to create more accountability for taxpayer dollars and eliminate wasteful spending by consolidating agencies and delivering services to Iowans more efficiently. Last fall, Governor Culver used his executive authority to implement $88 million in cost saving measures and last week he signed an early retirement package for state employees into law that saved an additional $60 million. The massive reorganization plan approved today is estimated to save taxpayers an additional $124 million next year, bringing the total savings from reorganization efforts to $272 million.
The bill is one of the largest initiatives in state history at 350 pages and contains over 50 different ideas, both large and small. It eliminates 14 different boards and commissions, reduces energy costs, combines state purchasing, cuts down on middle management to keep front line workers in their jobs, and consolidates information technology.
The bill now returns to the Senate.
Tags: Budget, government reorganization, Jobs, mary mascher, savings
Category 2010 Session Information, Budget |
Author: deanfiihr Published: February 4th, 2010
The House State Government and Appropriations Committees have both approved a plan to eliminate waste in state government and deliver services to Iowans more efficiently. The bill, Senate File 2088, will be debated in the Iowa House next week.
Combined with an early retirement package approved earlier this week, the state will save $183 million next year and $300 million over the next two years.
Tags: government reorganization, iowa state government
Category Budget |
Author: deanfiihr Published: January 14th, 2010
Today the two leaders of the Legislature’s Government Reorganization Committee released the first draft of legislation that will transform Iowa’s state government for the first time in almost 25 years.
“According to nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimates, these reforms will save tens of millions of dollars,” said State Representative Mary Mascher, chair of the House State Government Committee. “Every dollar we save is a dollar that we don’t need to cut from essential services to people in need. The simple truth, however, is that we should never put off rethinking how we do things and increasing state government efficiency and accountability.”
“We are on track to pass legislation that will ensure that state government will provide better services to Iowans, cut government bureaucracy, and save taxpayers’ dollars,” said Sen. Staci Appel, chair of the Senate State Government Committee. “These proposals closely follow the bipartisan, unanimous recommendations of the State Government Reorganization Commission and include a majority of Governor Culver’s public works proposals. Iowa’s leaders are working together to make bold changes that will also help balance the budget.”
The proposed legislation, SSB 3030, includes e-government innovations, purchasing consolidation and the merger of several state agencies.
The co-chairs said that passage of the ambitious package of reforms is on every legislator’s list of must-do bills.
“Change isn’t easy,” Appel said. “But if we keep listening more to Iowa taxpayers instead of the special interests and government bureaucrats, I believe the Legislature will end up overwhelmingly supporting these reforms.”
The legislation will first be considered by Appel’s Senate State Government Committee. After it is approved by the committee and the Senate as whole, the next stop will be Mascher’s House State Government Committee.
Tags: government reorganization, mary mascher, State Government
Category 2010 Session Information, Budget |
