Rep. Peter Cownie: Looking for Efficiencies in State Budget Should be an Annual Exercise

My first year in the Iowa House was 2009 during the height of the economic turmoil of the Great Recession. Unemployment soared, uncertainty peaked, the stock market plummeted and government revenues took historic losses.

Do you have any ideas to save money in state government? Tell us in comments.

Iowa was no different. Then-Gov. Chet Culver called for a historic 10 percent across-the-board cut of all government programs. The Legislature then went to work on a government reorganization bill that was designed to eliminate duplicative government programs and find efficiencies in order to save money resulting in approximately $70 million in annual savings. I supported this measure then and support it now.

The Legislature is again taking on a government reorganization bill.

I believe this should be an annual exercise at the Legislature and is a good thing for all Iowans. The Legislature, in my experience, has always looked for efficiencies and redundancies. However, a formal effort like this is sound government practice which will result in better stewardship of taxpayer dollars.

Our effort began this past fall with an interim legislative committee. This was the Government Efficiency Interim Committee. I was co-chair of this committee. We heard from state agencies and department heads on their ideas for savings within their departments and most of these ideas will be in the bill. Ideas ranged from different ways to store state records that will result in state savings to a standardized IT system that saves additional dollars.

The committee also created a website where Iowans could submit their ideas for government savings.

An example that came from an Iowan was to have all government printers set to “duplex setting,” where documents are printed on both sides when appropriate for our state agencies. This is a logical and good idea that will be in the bill.

We also fielded ideas from other legislators, who offered ideas ranging from eliminating departments altogether to better ways of organizing our employees in state agencies. As you can imagine, this is a big task.

This bill is currently in the drafting stage and we are working as efficiently as possible while still performing the due diligence necessary regarding these changes. Any government efficiency bill goes through the State Government Committee, which I chair and I will also be floor manager of this bill. As chairman of this committee, I am hopeful that we will report legitimate savings back to Iowans soon.

This is what the Legislature should do every year. We should be looking for programs that are outdated and unnecessary. This benefits all taxpayers in Iowa.

We have two more community forums scheduled. The Clive forum is Feb. 25 from, 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the Walnut Ridge Senior Campus, 1701 Campus Drive (behind the Clive Aquatic Center). The West Des Moines forum will be March 24. Everyone is welcome.