Charlice Byrd

Bill Would Curb Unneeded Growth

BY CHARLICE BYRD

Something most Georgians don’t think about is the number of state agencies, authorities, commissions and departments for which we, the taxpayers, foot the bill.

Most citizens can rattle off a handful of state agencies and departments. As a state representative, I interact with a few dozen on a regular basis, but, in reality, there are more than 130 of these bureaucratic outposts in Georgia. Think about that for a minute, and remember the check you wrote to the government to pay your taxes — not a pleasant thought!

We know it’s easier to grow the size of government than it is to shrink it. We see it happen every session. I believe we can agree that more than 130 state agencies, authorities, commissions and departments seems like too many.

A bill you might see introduced next year is the Georgia Government Accountability Act, also known as the Sunset Bill. The bill’s aim is to establish a method by which the efficiency of state government is regularly reviewed and the productivity of each agency evaluated.

This is crucial to ensure state agencies, departments and other entities are held accountable for their service to the public and their responsiveness to the needs of the citizens of this state. This isn’t just to phase out unneeded and/or outdated government entities; it also is aimed at finding inefficiencies and duplication of services provided on behalf of Georgia taxpayers.

If we are footing the bill, we deserve to know whether our money is being spent as intended. This is one way to closely review the workings of state government, to determine the need for efficiency and eliminate redundancies. We cannot continue to grow the state budget without first implementing performance standards and bringing more transparency to government.

This type of legislation provides a vehicle for the General Assembly to do what we should be doing for our taxpayers — ensuring the government is as streamlined, economical and efficient as possible.

You can reach me at my Capitol office at 404-6560213, or email me at charlice.byrd@house.ga.gov. Or write to my Capitol office (508-B Coverdell Legislative Office Building, Atlanta, GA 30334). For more in-depth details regarding the budget, visit www.facebook.com/ RepCharliceByrd. As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your representative.

Rep. Charlice Byrd represents District 20 in the Georgia House of Representatives. charlice.byrd@house.ga.gov.