Written By MICHELLE MILLHOLLON
Advocate Capitol News Bureau
Published: Jan 5, 2010 - 2theadvocate.com

The head of the streamlining commission Monday said the Louisiana Legislature needs to lead efforts to shape a leaner state government instead of relying on Gov. Bobby Jindal to do the work.

State Sen. Jack Donahue told the Press Club of Baton Rouge, “I feel very strongly that the Legislature should have its own agenda for the state of Louisiana.”

Donahue said he is not taking a slap at Jindal. However, he was critical of some state agency heads, accusing them of stalling in providing needed information or being ignorant of the savings that can be achieved through privatization.

Donahue spoke shortly before the commission released its report, which is about a foot thick. The report is available online at http://senate.legis.state.la.us/Streamline/Proposal/Reports/PreambleToFinalReport.pdf

The state is facing a more than $3 billion shortfall over the next two years.

Donahue, R-Mandeville, chaired a streamlining commission that was tasked with finding ways to help state government save money.

The 238 recommendations include:

• Reducing the number of state workers by 5,000 a year for the next three years.
• Establishing regional service centers that would set up a single location for tasks such as renewing a driver’s license and signing up for food stamps.
• Speeding up the review of dedicated funds that limit legislators’ ability to cut the budget.
• Furloughing state workers for four days a year.
• Turning over to private operation state residential centers that care for the developmentally disabled.

The recommendations were submitted to Jindal and legislative leaders.

The next step is for legislative committees to review the recommendations by Feb. 1.

Donahue said he wants to get as many legislators as possible on board with the more important recommendations.

The next general session of the Legislature begins March 29.

Donahue said he envisions packaging recommendations together. He said he doubts that 238 recommendations will go before the Legislature.

A preamble to the commission’s final report said the idea was to provide a “menu of options” for the state budget that is being prepared for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

The streamlining commission is not the first effort to restructure state government. The idea seems to pop up every decade with few tangible results.

Donahue said he couldn’t say yet whether his streamlining commission will be more effective than past groups looking for ways to make government more efficient.

However, Donahue expressed frustration that the commission was unable to tackle all of the programs that exist in state government to determine whether they are needed.

Donahue said agencies — especially the education department — stalled in providing lists of programs. He said departments knew that the commission had a limited amount of time in which to complete its work.

Another frustration, he said, is the reluctance by some department heads to reduce their work force by hiring private companies to handle tasks.

Donahue said the state Department of Transportation and Development easily could outsource engineering work and that the agency’s leader, William Ankner, showed how little he knows by insisting on the importance of staff engineers.

Donahue said the state continues to spend money while cutting the areas, like education, that are supposed to be held the most sacred.

“I want to have a clear idea on where we’re trying to go with the state of Louisiana,” he said.

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