In a historic move this year, the Speaker of the House, Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis), created a committee to reduce and eliminate practices in government that have become redundant or antiquated. This happens, as with any organization over time, but we want to work together to find ways to save time and money by eliminating those unnecessary practices. For the first time in Indiana's history, Speaker Bosma appointed members from the minority party to chair two committees. The House Select Committee on Government Reduction is one of the committees with a minority party chairman. While this committee is not aimed at reducing the size of government, we are working to cut down on the heavily-bureaucratic red tape. Ultimately, this will lower costs and benefit all Hoosier taxpayers. Two bills came out of the Government Reduction Committee last session. The first bill, now House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1124, removed unnecessary language from the Indiana Code that caused confusion to railroads and local units of government. Before HEA 1124 was passed, the code was outdated because federal railroad regulations changed the state's role in overseeing railroads. The second bill, now HEA 1233, eliminated or combined certain boards and commissions that were no longer effective. Many of the boards had not met in years, were unnecessary or out-of-date, had vacancies that were difficult to fill, or were repetitive. We believed that it would be better to place these boards with another existing board or commission that can more easily reach the goals of each body. These were the first steps we took to streamline state government, and we are now looking to continue to reduce unnecessary and costly functions of government. During session we were able to meet with representatives from many state agencies including the State Budget Agency, Indiana Department of Transportation and the governor's office, but I would also like to hear from Hoosiers that use these services every day. I am inviting you, and have also reached out to local government officials, to send me your ideas on how to reduce government. I have created an online suggestion box on my website at: http://www.IN.gov/surveytool/public/survey.php?name=District_78_Gov_Reduction. I know you can offer us invaluable input on practices you may have noticed are possibly no longer necessary. If you prefer to reach me by phone or email please call 317-232-9763 or send me your ideas at H78@in.gov. Finally, the next meeting of the House Select Committee on Government Reduction, of which I am a member, is on Wednesday, August 10 at 9:30 a.m. EST. It will be held at the Statehouse in House Committee Room 156 D and can be watched live online at www.in.gov/legislative. I look forward to hearing your input and ideas. Thank you for your continued support.
-30- State Rep. Suzanne Crouch (R-Evansville) |
