SC Senate Leaders Introduce Government Streamlining Bill

S.C. Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, Finance Chairman Hugh Leatherman, and Majority Leader Harvey Peeler filed a bill today to create the Commission on Streamlining Government and Reduction of Waste that will work to streamline and pare down the size and growth of state government. The need of state government to be downsized has been long overdue. This major restructuring effort would be led by lawmakers and private sector business leaders.

“We’ve had declining revenues over the past several years, and projected for years to come,” McConnell said. “If no corrective action is taken, we will have severe funding gaps in state government. Waste and inefficiency have always needed to be eliminated from state government, but we need to do it now, more than ever. It’s essential that we reduce the cost of government through all means available.” One of the main activities of the commission will be to examine the work of state agencies in total, to see if those services are still needed.

“Many state agencies were created in a time when our needs as a state were very different,” McConnell said. “We shouldn’t keep spending money on something that has long since outlived its usefulness.”

Majority Leader Harvey Peeler called the bill a necessary step toward government efficiency. “This national economic crisis has taught us a valuable lesson. We can’t keep running government without a serious evaluation of every single dollar spent. Taxpayers expect us to spend their money with the highest degree of efficiency and accountability.”

The commission must report its recommendations to the legislature by January 2011.

Email This Story To A Friend