SALT LAKE CITY — A pair of Davis County lawmakers are working on legislation to streamline state government, starting with the governor’s office.
The initiative brought special mention from Gov. Gary Herbert during Wednesday’s State of the State address.
Rep. Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, and Sen. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton, are expected to sponsor legislation to rename and retool the governor’s Office of Management and Budget in coming weeks as part of the 45-day legislative session.
The bill proposes a new style of management for the state.
“This change is not just about rhetoric,” Herbert said.
He challenged his cabinet and all state employees to be more efficient and reduce costs by 25 percent in the next four years.
Stevenson said the legislation is geared to turn state government into a high-performance organization. He and Wilson have held meetings with Kristen Cox of the governor’s staff to move the potential reorganization forward.
The former Layton mayor said the new system measures quality, cost and output. He said it will disassemble some of the bureaucracy associated with state government.
“I was very impressed as a businessman and watched how they propose to make the changes,” Stevenson said.
Stevenson owns J & J Nursery in Layton, and Wilson is chief executive officer for Destination Homes.
Wilson said the new initiative will drive performance and measure results. He praised the efforts of Cox, who worked previously with the department of Workforce Services and was able to cut expenses and increase efficiency.
Both Wilson and Stevenson hold new leadership positions in the Legislature this year. Wilson is the new vice chairman for appropriations in the House, while Stevenson is the vice chairman for appropriations in the Senate.
Herbert said every dollar saved by being more efficient is more money the state can funnel into education.
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