Streamlining bill advances

• By MARSHA SHULER
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: May 14, 2009

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Gov. Bobby Jindal-backed legislation establishing a commission on streamlining government got a major revamp Wednesday as lawmakers exerted their legislative power to say yes or no to recommendations.

The bill, as originally drafted, would not have allowed the Legislature to make changes to commission plans. And that drew objection from lawmakers and brought about the change approved by a Senate committee.

The Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee then endorsed Senate Bill 261 and shipped it to the Senate floor for debate.

The legislation stalled in the same committee last week over language that directed the commission’s recommendations be “considered without amendments” by lawmakers.

SB261’s sponsor state Sen. Jack Donahue, R-Covington, defended the “no-change” language last week — the same stipulation Jindal inserted in an executive order that mirrored the bill.

On Wednesday, Donahue thanked committee members for their input and offered the amendment taking out the offensive language as well as any reference to Jindal’s executive order.

“There will certainly be things as a legislator we want to do and other things we may not want to undertake. That’s the legislative prerogative,” Donahue said.

“The bill needed to be fixed,” he added.

Under the altered SB261, a 13-member Commission on Streamlining Government would be created to come up with ways to reduce the cost of state government “in order to overcome the projected severe revenue reductions occurring through 2012.”

The commission would examine each agency’s programs, services, powers, duties and responsibilities to determine the potential for elimination, streamlining, consolidation, privatization or outsourcing of them.

The legislation calls for the commission to report its recommendations to the House and Senate Governmental Affairs Committees which would then, meeting jointly, review the plan by Feb. 1, 2010.

Legislative and executive action necessary to implement the reorganization plan as approved or as modified by the joint legislative committee would be taken as soon as possible.

Thereafter, the commission would report annually prior to Jan. 1.