SPONSOR:	Rep. Yearick & Rep. D. Short & Sen. Pettyjohn;
	Reps. Briggs King, Collins, Outten, Wilson; Sens. Bonini, Lavelle, Lawson, Simpson

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 148th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 3

ESTABLISHING THE DELAWARE EFFICIENCY AND COST CONTAINMENT COMMITTEE (DECCC).

WHEREAS, the State of Delaware is experiencing constantly increasing demands on its operating budget; and 

WHEREAS, the General Fund operating budget for the State of Delaware was $2.6 billion in Fiscal Year 2005; and 

WHEREAS, the State of Delaware's current FY 2015 operating budget is $3.8 billion; and 

WHEREAS, the state spending via the operating budget has risen more than 46% over the last 10 years; and 

WHEREAS, this rate of this increased spending is troubling and unsustainable; and 

WHEREAS, the state has limited resources at its disposal to meet its future budgetary challenges; and 

WHEREAS, the State of Delaware is mandated to enact a balanced operating budget; and 

WHEREAS, the state has an obligation to maximize its existing revenue and limit the tax and fee burden it places on Delaware's businesses and citizens; and 

WHEREAS, the governor has created a special group to offer recommendations on how the State of Delaware can restructure its revenue sources; and 

WHEREAS, no corresponding group has yet been formed to explore ways to reduce state costs or improve the efficiency of state government. 

NOW, THEREFORE: 

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 148th General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, with the approval of the governor, that a committee be established to gather, investigate, and recommend actions to the General Assembly for improving governmental effectiveness and restraining the growth of state spending. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this committee shall be named that Delaware Efficiency and Cost Containment Committee (DECCC) and shall include the following members: 

(1) The Controller General or his designee, who will function as the chair-person of the committee;

(2) The State Auditor or his designee;

(3) The State Attorney General or a designee able to provide legal counsel to the committee;

(4) The State Treasurer or his designee;

(5) The Director of the Office of Management and Budget or her designee;

(6) A representative of the governor;

(7) The Pensions Administrator (Office of Pensions) or his designee;

(8) Four members of the Delaware General Assembly, one from each legislative caucus as selected by the respective leaders of those caucuses; and

(9) The committee can add up to two additional members, at its discretion, to accomplish its mission.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Office of Management and Budget shall provide the necessary staff support for the DECCC to carry out its mission. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, all meetings of the DECCC shall be promoted in advance to the media and posted on the home page of the State of Delaware website. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, all meetings of the DECCC shall be open to the public.  The number of meetings, their timing, and locations shall be left to the discretion of the committee.  The committee may move into executive session in instances where the State of Delaware has a legal duty to maintain the confidentiality of information it will be considering. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the DECCC shall gather input from the public, via at least one special hearing, on ideas to improve governmental efficiency or curtail the growth of state spending.  The number of hearings, their timing, and locations shall be left to the discretion of the committee. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the committee's deliberations shall include, but not be limited to, the following: 

·         Investigate replacing defined benefit pensions with defined contribution plans for new state employees, where feasible.

·         Investigate establishing a centralized procurement program for the state's public schools.

·         Investigate and analyze state purchasing protocols, looking for ways to increase value and better benefit from economies of scale.

·         Investigate establishing an efficiency rewards program, under which state employees or private citizens could suggest cost-cutting measures that, if successfully implemented, would pay a financial award to the person originating the idea.  

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the DECCC shall compile a list of actionable recommendations to curtail state costs and/or improve efficiency. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the DECCC shall issue these recommendations via e-mail to all state legislators and the governor's office no later than March 15, 2016. 

SYNOPSIS

This Joint Resolution would establish the Delaware Efficiency and Cost Containment Committee (DECCC), which would be tasked with gathering, investigating, and recommending actions the General Assembly can consider to improve governmental effectiveness and restrain the growth of state spending.   The committee shall issue its recommendations to state lawmakers by March 15, 2016.