Video: Tough measures will make state government more accountable

State Representative Mary Mascher of Iowa City (left) chairs the House State Government Committee and State Senator Staci Appel of Indianola (right) chairs the Senate State Government Committee. The two are seeking to make state government more effective and accountable through e-government innovations, consolidated purchasing, combining agencies and other reforms.

On Thursday the two leaders of the Legislature’s Government Reorganization Committee released the first draft of legislation that will transform Iowa’s state government for the first time in almost 25 years.

“We are on track to pass legislation that will ensure that state government will provide better services to Iowans, cut government bureaucracy, and save taxpayers’ dollars,” said Sen. Staci Appel, chair of the Senate State Government Committee.  “These proposals closely follow the bipartisan, unanimous recommendations of the State Government Reorganization Commission and include a majority of Governor Culver’s public works proposals.  Iowa’s leaders are working together to make bold changes that will also help balance the budget.”

The proposed legislation, SSB 3030, includes e-government innovations, purchasing consolidation and the merger of several state agencies. 

“According to nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimates, these reforms will save tens of millions of dollars,” said State Representative Mary Mascher, chair of the House State Government Committee.  “Every dollar we save is a dollar that we don’t need to cut from essential services to people in need.  The simple truth, however, is that we should never put off rethinking how we do things and increasing state government efficiency and accountability.”

The co-chairs said that passage of the ambitious package of reforms is on every legislator’s list of must-do bills.

“Change isn’t easy,” Appel said.  “But if we keep listening more to Iowa taxpayers instead of the special interests and government bureaucrats, I believe the Legislature will end up overwhelmingly supporting these reforms.”

The legislation will first be considered by Appel’s Senate State Government Committee.  After it is approved by the committee and the Senate as whole, the next stop will be Mascher’s House State Government Committee.

Below is the video from Thursday’s press conference on the newly released state government reorganization draft legislation.  Leaders at the press conference also included Senate President Jack Kibbie, Senate Leader Mike Gronstal, House Speaker Pat Murphy, and House Leader Kevin McCarthy.

Please note that any ads in the video are inserted by Ustream and the Senate Democrats neither profit from nor endorse them.