The chairman of a committee that held hearings during the summer on downsizing state government has a list of things he wants it to dig more deeply into.
Representative Paul Curtman (R-Pacific) has given House Speaker Tim Jones (R-Eureka) a list of the things he wants the Committee on Downsizing State Government to spend more time investigating. Curtman says many of those could save the state money, such as implementing audits that compare state agencies to one another looking for opportunities to increase efficiency.
He says comparative audits have saved money in the State of Washington.
“Over the course of five years they realized about a billion dollars’ worth of savings to taxpayers. So, I think that on that particular issue that’s something that we can look at, we can see what other states have done.”
Comparative audits have been proposed in legislation in the past, most recently in the House by Representative Sue Allen (R-Town and Country).
Curtman says other areas that could be looked at are upgrades in information technology and management of the state’s motor vehicle fleet and facilities.
He expects the committee to hold more hearings once the legislature reconvenes in January.
