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Improve State Government While Cutting The Budget

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 10, 2009

With the state confronting at least a $2.3 billion budget shortfall, little is being spared lawmakers' ax. In the ongoing special session in Tallahassee, legislators have targeted programs serving the elderly, schoolchildren, the disabled and hospital patients. Environmental protections, higher education and many other efforts are on the chopping block.

The Legislature, given the economic crisis, has no choice but to cut deeply. But what's missing from legislators' effort is a sense of purpose and priority.

Lawmakers should be looking not just to reduce spending but to eliminate waste and improve efficiency. And they would benefit greatly by reviewing the recommendations of Florida TaxWatch, an independent think-tank dedicated to efficient government. It offers 40 proposals estimated to be worth more than $2.5 billion to taxpayers. Many are reforms that would improve government. Service providers, business leaders and taxpayer groups participated in developing the proposals.

Lawmakers, before swinging the budget ax wildly, should give the ideas careful consideration. It's encouraging the Senate promptly endorsed a few of the ideas.

Among TaxWatch's recommendations:

• Sell or lease underutilized buildings and other assets, such as planes, which TaxWatch estimates would save the state $100 million.

• Delay purchase of new textbooks, which could save $130 million. Using new material for basic courses such as language arts and mathematics, which are scheduled for change over the next two years, is not essential. And the books are costly, more than $50 for an Algebra 1 volume. Technology could help schools use current materials longer.

•Cut leadership and senior management salaries by 5 percent, which would save $5.3 million. The report aptly urges, "As a way to demonstrate genuine statesmanship and display acts of true leadership and sacrifice, those at the top should set the example for all state employees before asking anything more of them."

•Outsource the recovery of unnecessary and fraudulent Medicaid payments, which could bring in $324 million.

• Rescind unexpended funds appropriated for turkeys - member projects that were approved without financial review. It's estimated this would save $50 million.

Some of the recommendations might not realize major savings immediately but would bring long-term benefits.

Among them:

• Tighten the Bright Futures scholarship program, which costs the state more than $400 million a year. The eligibility requirements for the college scholarships are exceptionally loose. Raising the bar would reduce the costs and ensure the scholarships went to deserving students.

•Enact education and job-training programs that have proved effective in reducing the recidivism rate of prisoners. Reducing the prison population and eliminating the need for new prisons would save taxpayers hundreds of millions.

•Require agencies to provide a list of state-required reports and get rid of unnecessary and time-consuming paperwork.

Not all the ideas may be workable. Some need study and debate, particularly the recommendation the state restore "gain time" for good behavior to reduce the prison population.

Gain time resulted in a crime wave in the 1990s, when violent criminals served only a fraction of their time. TaxWatch suggests gain time be allowed only for nonviolent offenders, which is worth a look. But care must be taken when it comes to the early release of criminals.

It does not matter if all of TaxWatch's suggestions are worthwhile. What's important is that lawmakers use its thoughtful suggestions as a means to transform the painful budget-cutting process into a productive government-improvement process.

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