The next state agency to get slapped by the state senate is the Department of Social Services. Springfield Senator Bob Dixon says he hoped to learn from the Department of Social Services what it needed to fix computer problems that tie up children’s services caseworkers in the office instead of helping them handle cases. But he says he became incensed when the department’s legislative liaison was uncooperative.
He says he’s tired of state agencies refusing to provide information requested by lawmakers. DSS is the fifth state agency to get a budget cut from the state senate because of complaints about uncooperative attitudes.
The senate has removed money for the legislative liaison’s salary from the department budget. Dixon wants the money used to hire two more caseworkers for the Springfield office. He says state agencies have an attitude in this term limits era that lawmakers are irrelevant and information can be withheld from them because they won’t be around very long.
