Amador County – The California State Assembly last week, on an overwhelming, bipartisan vote, passed two far reaching governmental reform measures authored by Assemblymember Alyson Huber. The legislation if implemented will push government to identify waste, duplication and inefficiencies in state departments and agencies. AB 1659 and AB 2130 create a process to conduct, comprehensive and regular review of the state’s many boards, commissions, agencies and departments. “For many years the legislature and the Governor have created governmental entities that were designed to solve particular problems,” Huber said. “I think the time has come for us to review each of these bureaucracies, keep the ones that work and eliminate those that have outlived their usefulness. This will ensure taxpayers that their money is being spent wisely.”
AB 1659 would take existing legislative resources and re-direct them to the Joint Sunset Review Committee which would conduct a comprehensive analysis of state government agencies to determine if the agency is still necessary, should be reorganized or is cost effective. In order to compel action on recommendations, it is the intent that automatic sunset dates would be established for entities scheduled for review. Prior to the committee’s recommendation each agency scheduled for sunset would be required to submit a report to the committee. Then, the committee would take public testimony and evaluate the agency prior to the agency’s scheduled sunset. AB 2130 serves as starting point to define which government entities will be subject to the Committee established by AB 1659 and sets the sunset timetable for the first years of reviews. Democratic Senator Mark DeSaulnier and Republican Assemblymember Roger Niello are co-authors of both bills. As far back as 1989, the Little Hoover Commission issued a report, entitled Boards and Commissions: California's Hidden Government, which found that, “California's multi-level, complex governmental structure today includes more than 400 boards, commissions, authorities, associations, councils and committees. These plural bodies operate to a large degree autonomously and outside of the normal checks and balances of representative government.” The Commission concluded that “the state's boards, commissions and similar bodies are proliferating without adequate evaluation of need, effectiveness and efficiency.” Huber said that she is very encouraged by the bipartisan support that her measures have received stating, “It is our duty to spend the public’s money wisely and I hope my legislation is the start to implementing an improved system of common sense governmental oversight.” This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Thursday, 10 June 2010 06:24
State Assembly Passes Governmental Reform Measures
Amador County – The California State Assembly last week, on an overwhelming, bipartisan vote, passed two far reaching governmental reform measures authored by Assemblymember Alyson Huber. The legislation if implemented will push government to identify waste, duplication and inefficiencies in state departments and agencies. AB 1659 and AB 2130 create a process to conduct, comprehensive and regular review of the state’s many boards, commissions, agencies and departments. “For many years the legislature and the Governor have created governmental entities that were designed to solve particular problems,” Huber said. “I think the time has come for us to review each of these bureaucracies, keep the ones that work and eliminate those that have outlived their usefulness. This will ensure taxpayers that their money is being spent wisely.”
AB 1659 would take existing legislative resources and re-direct them to the Joint Sunset Review Committee which would conduct a comprehensive analysis of state government agencies to determine if the agency is still necessary, should be reorganized or is cost effective. In order to compel action on recommendations, it is the intent that automatic sunset dates would be established for entities scheduled for review. Prior to the committee’s recommendation each agency scheduled for sunset would be required to submit a report to the committee. Then, the committee would take public testimony and evaluate the agency prior to the agency’s scheduled sunset. AB 2130 serves as starting point to define which government entities will be subject to the Committee established by AB 1659 and sets the sunset timetable for the first years of reviews. Democratic Senator Mark DeSaulnier and Republican Assemblymember Roger Niello are co-authors of both bills. As far back as 1989, the Little Hoover Commission issued a report, entitled Boards and Commissions: California's Hidden Government, which found that, “California's multi-level, complex governmental structure today includes more than 400 boards, commissions, authorities, associations, councils and committees. These plural bodies operate to a large degree autonomously and outside of the normal checks and balances of representative government.” The Commission concluded that “the state's boards, commissions and similar bodies are proliferating without adequate evaluation of need, effectiveness and efficiency.” Huber said that she is very encouraged by the bipartisan support that her measures have received stating, “It is our duty to spend the public’s money wisely and I hope my legislation is the start to implementing an improved system of common sense governmental oversight.” This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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