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Issue: 931 Date: 6/26/2008
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Jay Nixon Outlines Ideas to Make Government More Efficient, Effective and Fiscally Responsible
Attorney General Proposes Widespread Performance Reviews and New Technology to Save Taxpayers Money
Jay Nixon致力建構更有效率之州政府
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"During these difficult economic times, Missouri families are tightening their belts to make ends meet. I believe state government must do the same."
ST. LOUIS, MO (June 20, 2008) -- In a speech today before the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association (RCGA), Attorney General Jay Nixon announced his ideas to make government more efficient and fiscally responsible during these difficult economic times. Among other reforms, the Attorney General proposed widespread performance reviews and the use of new technology to save the taxpayers money.
"During these difficult economic times, Missouri families are tightening their belts to make ends meet. I believe state government must do the same," Attorney General Nixon said. "The people of Missouri deserve a government that is efficient and fiscally responsible. By conducting thorough performance reviews of every government office and every program, we will determine exactly what works and where we can save the taxpayers' money. With gas prices skyrocketing and health care costs out of control, we simply cannot afford waste and inefficiency in any area of state government."
As Attorney General, Nixon has run the most fiscally responsible office in government. Last year, the Attorney General's Office generated or returned more than $20.00 to the taxpayers for every dollar the office was appropriated by the legislature. In total, Nixon has saved the taxpayers more than $2.0 billion by fining criminals and cracking down on corporations that take advantage of Missouri consumers. [Attorney General Annual Reports, 1993 - 2007; Analysis of AGO Annual Reports 2001 - 2007]
By managing the office in a fiscally responsible manner, Attorney General Nixon not only balanced the office budget every year, he ensured that office always finished the year considerably under budget -- saving the state millions of additional dollars. [Sunshine Request of internal AGO budget numbers]
At today's RCGA lunch, Attorney General Nixon outlined the following principles to ensure that state government operates in a more effective, efficient and fiscally responsible manner:
Government Performance Reviews: Jay Nixon will establish a Performance Review Commission composed of private sector executives, elected officials, and senior-level state employees who will be charged with reviewing state operations and develop recommendations for improvement. This Commission will review every state agency to evaluate how to improve performance and reduce cost to the taxpayer. The Commission will also be specifically tasked with recommending ineffective programs for elimination. For example, West Virginia identified nearly $320 million in savings after conducting a statewide performance review in 2006. One priority for the Commission will be evaluating and consolidating Missouri's health care bureaucracy. Currently, more than 60 state agencies, boards or commissions are involved with the development of health care policy or the delivery and management of health care services in the state.
Effective Government Contracting: Jay Nixon will work to ensure that through the procurement process, state and local governments have increased access to bulk purchasing programs. He believes that the state can do more to encourage local governments to join the state in bidding on contracts -- increasing the size of the purchase and bringing down the costs. Jay will work to ensure that small businesses and minority and women owned businesses are ensured appropriate participation.
Using Technology to Save Time and Money: In his efforts to improve efficiency in the Attorney General's Office, Jay Nixon has used the tools of technology to slash costs and better serve the people of Missouri. For example, by putting consumer complaint forms online, Attorney General Nixon made it possible for consumers who have been wronged by fraud or abuse to report their problems more efficiently. Consumers can also sign up for the No-Call list online and call into the immigration hotline. As Governor, Nixon will aggressively find ways to integrate technology in Government that would allow taxpayers to be served by the state in a more efficient manner. He believes that Missouri needs a comprehensive e-government strategy that takes a top to bottom to look at how the state currently provides information and services to Missouri citizens through the web, identifies where we are lacking and then finds ways to make improvements. He will instruct each of his agency and department heads to submit recommendations on which services can be moved online in order to serve Missourians in a more efficient and cost-effective manner. |
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