Rep. Atkins fights for accountability in state government

January 4, 2010

Joins comprehensive, long-term plan

Working to restore credibility and promote efficiency in state government, Representative Cory Atkins (D-Concord) is advancing a four-part plan offered by Sen. Richard T. Moore (D-Uxbridge) that could save millions of dollars for Massachusetts taxpayers. Atkins is one of twenty co-sponsors of the proposals that will be offered both as legislation and as budget provisions. These bills seek to give the public opportunities to suggest reform or abolition of state agencies and programs. All are designed to force state bureaucrats to justify the work of their agencies. One proposal resulted from a recent WBZ-TV I-Team report about unused leased parking spaces for state employees.

“Now more than ever, state government must share the burdens of a depressed economy,” said Representative Cory Atkins. “This plan will make our government more efficient by creating a comprehensive structure to hold state agencies accountable for how they spend taxpayer dollars. I am pleased to know that residents will have the opportunity to give their input on how to improve our government.”

The proposals being offered include:Sunset of State Agencies

Texas, Florida and several other states have laws that require all state agencies to terminate after a set number of years, unless affirmatively re-authorized by the Legislature. Texas has consolidated 12 agencies, abolished 58 agencies and saved nearly $800 million in the past 27 years. The proposal in Massachusetts would assign mandatory sunset dates for each agency, provide an opportunity for stakeholders and the public to comment on how well the agency performs its duties, and give the Legislature the opportunity to decide if the agency should be abolished, reformed, or consolidated.

Sunshine on State Agency Reports

Over the years, as state agencies and departments have been established or re-organized, the Legislature has required these agencies to issue annual reports. The reports, often printed and distributed at considerable expense, rarely give legislators and the public an opportunity to evaluate the agency or provide a common sense report card on the need, success or failure of agency programs. Atkins and Moore have proposed that agencies no longer print and distribute annual reports, but provide the reports electronically on the Internet with opportunities for public feedback.

Improving State Program Performance

Last year, during debate on the FY ’10 state budget, the senate approved an amendment that would have created pilot projects for examining the efficiency and performance of selected state programs; however, the proposal was not included the final budget. State programs would be evaluated by trained examiners from the private sector using performance quality standards developed by the Department of Commerce National Institute for Standards and Technology in the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program.

Preventing Waste in State Agency Leasing

A recent WBZ-TV I-Team investigation revealed that millions of tax dollars are being wasted by state agencies for leasing parking spaces around the state, which are often unused or being misused. There is, at present, no provision in these leasing and rental agreements to provide for an evaluation and periodic review of the need for the leased or rented facilities or the termination of such agreements when they cannot be justified. The proposed legislation would require the director of the agencies to exercise more common sense in the procurement of parking spaces and facilities rental.