Amendment #62 to H3400

Government Efficiencies Commission

[Sponsors] Representative Lewis of Winchester moves to amend the bill by adding the following sections:-

SECTION X.  A Special Commission shall be established to study and make recommendations concerning functional overlaps and other redundancies among state agencies and opportunities to promote efficiency and accountability in state government.  The Commission shall identify ways to eliminate such overlaps and redundancies and make such other recommendations as the commission deems appropriate, with the goal of reducing costs to the state and enhancing the quality and accessibility of state services to the public.  The Commission shall consider merging or consolidating state agencies and programs if such action would reduce costs without adversely impacting the quality of services.  The Commission shall also seek to identify opportunities to maximize revenues, such as federal grants and matching funds.

SECTION X.  Members of the Commission shall be determined as follows: (1) Three members to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; (2) Two members to be appointed by the House Minority Leader; (3) Three members to be appointed by the Senate President; (4) Two members to be appointed by the Senate Minority Leader; (5) One member to be appointed by the State Auditor; (6) One member to be appointed by the State Treasurer; (7) Five members to be appointed by the Governor.  The Commission shall be bipartisan and may include members of the General Court, members of the executive branch, members of the judicial branch, or outside experts.  The Speaker of the House and the Senate President shall determine which two members of the Commission will serve as co-chairpersons.

SECTION X.  The Commission may hold hearings and invite testimony from experts and the public.  The Commission shall review and identify best practices learned from undertaking similar efforts in other states, such as Connecticut’s Commission on Enhancing Agency Outcomes which reported its findings and recommendations in December, 2010.

SECTION X.  The agency head and staff of each state agency under consideration by the Commission shall ensure that any data, information or materials that the Commission requests for purposes of its review and deliberations are provided to the Commission in a timely manner.

SECTION X.  Members of the Commission shall be named and the Commission shall commence its work within 60 days of the signing of this bill into law.  The Commission shall submit its report and recommendations within 18 months following commencement of its work to the Speaker of the House, Senate President, and Governor.  The report will also be made available online for public review.