Jul 27, 2009
Governor Jindal Addresses First Commission on Streamlining Government Meeting

BATON ROUGE – Today, Governor Bobby Jindal addressed the opening of the first Commission on Streamlining Government meeting. Governor Jindal emphasized that the new body has a critical mission to make government more efficient and that his office and cabinet members have already begun preparing information for the commission to help them make recommendations for reform.

Governor Jindal said, “Make no mistake – this commission is not charged with creating another binder with some good opinions and ideas that will just sit on a shelf and collect dust.  This commission is to make real, lasting reforms in state government.

“As this commission searches for ways to streamline government – everything is on the table. If it’s a good idea to improve our current system and maximize efficiencies, it should be explored by this group, and if decided on, it should be swiftly implemented.

“It’s time to make the hard choices. Our goal is to be smart and strategic – but also to make decisions – not just debate them and leave the real reforms for someone else. The time for real reform is now. We know we still face future budget challenges. And we know it would be irresponsible as state leaders to simply continue spending like business-as-usual in Baton Rouge and pass the bill on to our people. We must root out every opportunity for savings and we must work quickly.”

Governor Jindal signed Senate Bill 261 from this past legislative session which created the Commission on Streamlining Government. The Commission is comprised of ten members representing the public and private sectors.

The commission will examine each agency’s constitutional and statutory duties in an effort to reduce the size of state government and create savings by improving the efficiency of state government. Specifically, the commission will target programs and agencies whose functions can be consolidated or eliminated, in addition to identifying opportunities for privatizing and outsourcing current state functions.

Governor Jindal said that he has instructed each cabinet member to designate a point person to work with the commission and for each agency to immediately begin preparing information for the commission to help make their recommendations.

In outlining the steps his cabinet is taking, the Governor highlighted actions that the state has already taken to restructure state government and increase efficiency through office and program eliminations and consolidations.

He said that each cabinet member has been tasked with outlining a clear vision for reform at their agency. For example, at the Department of Social Services, they are undergoing a strategic planning process focused on three overarching policy goals: 1) Keep kids safe. 2) Be prepared for emergencies. 3) Promote self-sufficiency. 

The Governor said he has also asked each cabinet member to outline the constitutional and statutory mandates for their agency. He noted that they must determine what is required of their agency by law versus the actual activities of their department. 

Governor Jindal said agencies are also working to outline the activities of their department that fall outside of the constitutional and statutory focus – while describing the history of these activities and how they became a part of the department’s mission.

The Governor said this ensures the state is working toward a results-oriented approach and not just doing something for the sheer reason that “it has always been done that way.”

Governor Jindal said cabinet members are working to identify outdated activities that should no longer be part of the mission of their agency.

For example, the Governor said the Department of Corrections is focused on new re-entry programs for inmates. He said that the Department of Corrections is partnering with sheriffs in a program to better prepare state prison inmates for release and re-entry into society so they do not become repeat offenders. The partnership will expand re-entry services to state prisoners housed in local and parish jails by creating up to ten regional programs. 

The Governor noted that cabinet secretaries are also working to identify under-performing programs that should be overhauled or eliminated and they will be prepared to make the case for these programs based on performance and whether or not the department or program is serving our people and producing results.

For instance, the Governor noted that the state is transitioning the Steve Hoyle Rehabilitation Center in Tallulah from a state-run correctional facility housing adult male offenders to a parish-run facility housing adult female offenders.

He said cabinet members will identify duplication or overlap with other state agencies, with the federal government, or with public or private stakeholder groups. Governor Jindal said when they identify duplicative functions, they will make recommendations as to whether or not this activity should be consolidated within another agency or organization, or eliminated entirely. 

For example, the Governor said the state joined the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired to the campus of the Louisiana School for the Deaf to increase student safety, capture additional federal resources, centralize business office functions while maintaining separate entities, and achieving cost-savings through shared services.

The Governor also noted that at the Louisiana Economic Development department – the state eliminated the “traditional” Workforce Development and Training Program, which, with the creation of the new Fast Start Program, was determined to be duplicative.

Finally, the Governor said agency heads will list programs, functions, or activities that can be privatized or outsourced.

Governor Jindal said, “This analysis will be prepared quickly and given to the commission so they can examine the options for improving efficiencies and streamlining government. We know that the more facts and recommendations that the commission has to review, the better they will be able to recommend reforms and identify savings.”

The Governor highlighted other states that have conducted similar efforts and found successful ways to streamline and lower the cost of their government.

In Florida, officials created the Council on Efficient Government. Florida engaged in nearly 140 privatization or managed competition initiatives saving taxpayers over $550 million. In 2008 alone, Florida’s Council on Efficient Government identified over $53 million in projected project savings to the state through analysis and evaluation of agency business cases. This represents reviews of 28 business cases with a cumulative lifetime value of over $244 million.

In Virginia, under the direction of the Commonwealth Competition Council, a survey of state agencies was conducted in 1999 to determine what commercial activities were being conducted by state personnel.

In the 1999 survey alone, the Commonwealth Competition Council identified 205 commercial activities. According to the Competition Council’s first director, actions taken at the council's recommendation are currently estimated to be saving Virginia taxpayers at least $40 million per year.

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