Sen. Mike Hewitt's response to Gov. Gregoire's government reform proposals

February 9, 2009

OLYMPIA…In response to Gov. Christine Gregoire’s announcement today regarding her proposed government efficiency measures, Senate Republican Leader Mike Hewitt, R-Walla Walla, issued this statement:  

“While I applaud the governor for taking steps that I believe move the state in the right direction, I also have to say that I don’t believe these measures will dramatically transform the way the state delivers its services.  

“When looking at ways to increase efficiencies, why would state government not, for example, examine how it can contract with the private sector to deliver some of its services? Nine years ago the Legislature passed civil service reform legislation that allowed state agencies to seek competitive contracts for some of their work. That just hasn’t happened, but it should. Senate Republicans have proposed legislation this year, Senate Bill 5409, which would create a ‘competition council’ to examine what areas of state government could be better conducted via private enterprise. That proposal would do more than get at the edges of transforming state government; it would truly alter it.    

“Also, while addressing the budget crisis we’re in now, we should be looking at ‘lessons learned’ to avoid a repeat of this situation in the future. Republicans have put several excellent proposals on the table this year to do just that, including a constitutional amendment that would require state government to save ‘extraordinary’ revenue growth in the state’s rainy day fund and another to require the Legislature to pass a balanced budget.  

For more information contact Senate Republican Caucus Communications Director Rebecca Japhet at (360) 786-7516 or japhet.rebecca@leg.wa.gov.