Mar. 31, 2015
HARRISBURG – The House Urban Affairs Committee voted today in favor of legislation which would help improve government efficiency, Reps. Seth Grove (R-York) and Mike Schlossberg (D-Lehigh) said.
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House Bill 11 builds on the approach of the state Office of Innovation, which was highly successful, having saved state taxpayers more than $690 million through the adoption of lean management principles intended to increase the efficiency of state government,” said Grove, who along with Schlossberg, authored the legislation. “This bill was amended to train new state employees on lean management practices, helping modernize state government and improve efficiency.”
Earlier this year, Gov. Tom Wolf created the successor to the Office of Innovation, in the new Office of Transformation, Innovation, Management and Efficiency, with a goal of finding ways to further modernize state government and save money. House Bill 11, as amended, would secure the office in law and create a steering committee which would include the secretaries of Policy and Planning, General Services and Budget, in addition to one member from the Republican and Democratic caucuses in both the House and Senate. This legislation would ensure employees are trained to look at their position and think of innovative ways to increase efficiency and improve delivery of services to taxpayers.
A number of agencies and state governments across the nation have seen savings following the adoption of lean management principles. For example, the U.S. Department of Defense saw $3 billion in cost savings from 2001-2007, Ohio trimmed $150 million and Connecticut had more than $165 million in savings since 2012.
“The goal of this bill is providing taxpayers with the government they deserve at a cost they can afford,” Schlossberg said. “I am proud to partner with Rep. Grove in this bipartisan approach which could have a major impact on the Commonwealth’s bottom line. I look forward to consideration of this bill by the full House.”
Representative Seth Grove
196th District
Representative Mike Schlossberg
132nd Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
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