[Editor's note: The following information is from a press statement issued by State Rep. Jason Lewis' Office.]

State Rep. Jason Lewis recently introduced an amendment designed to improve government efficiency and performance during debate on legislation dealing with state administration and finances. The amendment passed unanimously with strong bipartisan support. 

The amendment establishes a special bipartisan commission to study and make recommendations concerning functional overlaps and other redundancies among state agencies, and to identify opportunities to promote efficiency and greater accountability in state government. The commission will identify ways to eliminate any overlaps and redundancies, and will generate other ideas to reduce costs and enhance the quality and accessibility of state services to the public.

“All too often the debate about the role of government degenerates into an argument over big government versus small government,” Lewis said in remarks on the House floor in support of the amendment. “I believe the question we should be asking is how do we make our government smarter — more nimble, more efficient, and more responsive to the needs of the residents of Massachusetts.  My hope is that this special commission will be an important step forward in this direction.”

The amendment was modeled after successful legislation passed in Connecticut which established a Commission on Enhancing Agency Outcomes. This commission identified dozens of opportunities, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, to improve the efficiency and quality of government services in Connecticut.

The amendment was adopted as part of a comprehensive bill aimed at improving and modernizing state government administration and financial management.  The legislation expands the oversight responsibility of the State Treasurer and the Secretary of Administration and Finance, creates a new State Finance and Governance Board which will promote transparency and public accountability, and requires the monitoring of future trends in the budget planning process.