AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Despite not directly discussing legislation, the Texas House Delivery of Government Efficiency (Texas DOGE) committee met for more than 12 hours in their inaugural session. Here’s a partial recap of what they discussed.
Introduction to the Texas DOGE Committee
Before taking any testimony, Chair Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, started to discuss his vision for the upstart committee.
“We will not be passive observers. We will be enforcers of accountability now,” Capriglione said. “Our work will be thorough. Public hearings will shine a light on failures. Legislative proposals will emerge from this committee to drive reform. Investigations will hold bad actors accountable. We are here to advocate for the taxpayer, the small business owner, the retiree on a fixed income and the Texan who depends on public services that are too often compromised by mismanagement and negligence.”
Vice Chair Salman Bhoijani, D-Euless, laid also laid out how he hopes Texas DOGE will operate.
“As the eighth largest economy in the world, with the climate of innovation and doing more with less, Texas can lead the way in responsible, efficient government, ensuring tax money is being responsibly should be a bipartisan goal,” he said. “But let me be clear, my focus is not about cutting essential services or devaluing hard working public servants. I’m here to work with you, not against you, to improve how we serve Texans.”
Texas Sunset Commission
The first agency to testify in front of the committee was the Texas Sunset Commission, who the Texas DOGE Committee will have direct oversight over.
Sunset Commission Executive Director Eric Beverly started with prepared remarks, noting how the agency provides oversight similar to what DOGE is tasked with doing. He said in their 48 years of operation, they’ve abolished 42 agencies and programs, saving taxpayers a billion dollars since 1985.
“Sunset has resulted in less regulation, improved agency performance and greater government accountability,” Beverly said. “There’s no doubt that the face of state government looks different today due to the sunset process.”
Texas Department of Information Resources
Next, the committee heard from the Department of Information Resources (DIR) Executive Director Amanda Crawford. DIR impressed the committee with the scale at which they help government agencies, from state agencies down to school districts, secure cheap software and technology assistance.
Crawford estimated the DIR has saved Texas taxpayers at least $376 million in cost avoidance through securing cooperative contracts — using their leverage as a large collection of organizations to negotiate better deals.
Crawford also highlighted areas where DIR has helped moved government services online through Texas.gov, saving taxpayer money.
“DIR has returned to the general revenue fund 193 million through the Texas.gov program, and issued nearly six million in rebates to our customers over the last five years,” Crawford said. “For example, renewing a driver’s license online means Texans don’t have to drive to a location wait in line, resulting in savings of around $57 per person and at least two hours of their precious time. In addition, utilizing texas.gov online services can free up state employees to complete other essential duties, saving agencies time and money.”
One aspect the committee discussed was to require smaller, local government organizations — like cities, school districts, special purpose districts — to use cooperative contracts. State agencies are already required to do so, but it’s optional for other government entities.
“Why aren’t they using you,” State Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, asked.
“It’s more than likely they don’t know,” Crawford responded.
“Should they be made to use you,” Cain asked. “Would the taxpayers be happy? Would they save a lot of money?”
“I think they would save a lot of money,” Crawford explained.
Texas Space Commission
The committee heard from Gwen Griffin, the chair of the new Texas Space Commission’s Board of Directors. Griffin talked about the need for Texas to lead the way in America’s reintroduction to space.
“Resources that can benefit our lives, such as helium-3 are abundant on the lunar surface. It’s very rare here on Earth. We need to learn how to mine them and bring them back to Earth for the benefit of humanity,” Griffin said.
Committee members were excited to hear about the new advancements in space exploration, but showed some concerns about potential conflicts of interest in contract awards. Within their board of directors are representatives from SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and more.
“It just concerns me, because it looks like you received applications, 281 applications… [for] $3.4 billion, but almost 20% of the grants given were people on your board,” State Rep. Ana-Maria Ramos, D-Richardson, said.
“We disclose to our chief compliance officer and our executive director if we do have a conflict of interest,” Griffin said. “We never see those applications, we do not vote or speak about those applications if we are conflicted in our open meetings. Therefore we’re not involved in that process should we be conflicted.
Griffin also clarified that the grants are not going to members of the board, but the companies they’re affiliated with.
Further installments of the DOGE Committee Recap will be published leading up to their next hearing on March 12.
Credit: Source link
