Gov. Deval Patrick has assigned state department
heads to show him cost savings of between 5 and 10 percent of their
budgets for next fiscal year, with reports for potentially eliminating
hundreds of millions in spending decreases due next week.
Patrick aides said he sees “significant savings” through wage and hour
law enforcement, tightened Medicaid reimbursement, and cutting down on
earmarks, a favorite way for individual lawmakers to ensure spending on
their own priorities....
Patrick said he wanted his top aides to solicit advice from their
employees about where to trim the excess in the Executive Branch.
“You know who knows above all? The rank-and-file, everyday government
worker,” he said during a Dorchester press conference called to discuss
carbon emission reductions....
Patrick's office said in a press release today, “The information
submitted to [Patrick budget chief Leslie] Kirwan will not necessarily
reflect a final budget recommendation, but will provide useful data to
facilitate the administration’s planning for next year and beyond.”
State House News Service
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Patrick asks state agencies to ID 5-10 percent cuts,
targets earmarks
The budget cuts recommended by the Patrick Administration's
secretaries were filed on Friday and will not be made public, said Joseph
Landolfi, interim spokesman for the Executive Office of Administration and
Finance.
State House News Service
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Budget cut options not available for public review
Every time Citizens for Limited Taxation wants a tax
cut, or resists a tax hike, we are asked by our opponents: "Where would you
cut"? And we consistently maintain that, as taxpayers who provide the state
budget revenues, it is not our job to answer that question before we get to keep
some of our own money.
This is not to say we wouldn’t like to have a list.
CLT NEWS RELEASE
January 30, 2007
Governor Patrick, Where Would You Cut?
The advocacy group Citizens for Limited Taxation on
Tuesday questioned the Patrick administration’s decision to keep proposed budget
cut options under wraps.
In a statement, Barbara Anderson, who heads the group, said they will be
filing a Freedom of Information Act request for the documents....
Separately, the State House News Service this morning filed its own Freedom of
Information Act request for the documents.
State House News Service
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
CLT questions keeping budget cut options under wraps
Chip Ford's CLT Commentary
Apparently we'll have to take a different tack from
hopefully working with the Patrick administration. Apparently
the philosophical battle is on. I can't say I'm surprised, but it
was worth a shot, the effort -- it was worth the gesture if nothing
else.
"Together We Can" is now proving itself to be as
meaningless as every political slogan before it. He's in; we're
out -- end of discussion.
So we sue for honesty. Is there none?
Hey, this is Massachusetts, right? "How could
you ever be so cynical," they ask?
Maybe at last "Together We Can," thanks to this
current way of governing.
 |
|
Chip Ford |
State House News Service
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Patrick asks state agencies to ID 5-10 percent cuts,
targets earmarks
By Jim O’Sullivan
Gov. Deval Patrick has assigned state department heads to show him cost
savings of between 5 and 10 percent of their budgets for next fiscal
year, with reports for potentially eliminating hundreds of millions in
spending decreases due next week.
Patrick aides said he sees “significant savings” through wage and hour
law enforcement, tightened Medicaid reimbursement, and cutting down on
earmarks, a favorite way for individual lawmakers to ensure spending on
their own priorities.
The governor, who is overseeing a $25.7 billion budget, signaled he
didn’t expect to cover the entirety of a looming budget gap he tabs at
more than $1 billion, saying, “There are a lot of different strategies,
and it will take more than one to cover the projected deficit.”
Patrick said he wanted his top aides to solicit advice from their
employees about where to trim the excess in the Executive Branch.
“You know who knows above all? The rank-and-file, everyday government
worker,” he said during a Dorchester press conference called to discuss
carbon emission reductions. “They know what forms they file, what
reports they file that don’t get read, that don’t matter. And what I’ve
asked our secretaries to do is go engage with them, ask them to be a
part of the solution, so we know what out opportunities are.”
Asked by a reporter whether he planned to raise the gas tax in an effort
to close the looming gap, an initiative he initially denounced but has
since softened on, Patrick said, “Ever? It’s not on my radar screen
right now. That’s all I’ve got to say.”
Local earmarks accounted for chunks of the $384 million former Gov. Mitt
Romney cut from the budget, and Patrick re-inserted 13 days ago.
The same day he restored those funds, Patrick said he was giving his
Cabinet secretaries 30 days to appraise the agencies they oversee and
report back to him on potential cost savings and ways to deliver
services in a "lean" and "straight-forward" manner.
Patrick's office said in a press release today, “The information
submitted to [Patrick budget chief Leslie] Kirwan will not necessarily
reflect a final budget recommendation, but will provide useful data to
facilitate the administration’s planning for next year and beyond.”
Aides said the department heads were being tasked with identifying
"efficiencies wherever possible," listing office space consolidation,
energy efficiency and "internal processes" as possible areas of savings.
Lawmakers are protective of line-item spending; last month, House
Speaker Salvatore DiMasi told the press, "They are not pork. They are
legislators' priorities." Senate President Robert Travaglini reportedly
offered a public scolding of Patrick’s early diagnosis of more than $700
million in wasteful spending. The Senate chief reportedly said such
broadsides were insulting to legislators.
Aides for the legislative budget committees did not respond to requests
for comment.
Patrick said he and top legislators haven’t talked about specific
categories of earmarks – the governor and legislative leaders cancelled
a weekly meeting they had planned for Tuesday.
“We’ve talked about the subject generally, the legislative leadership
and I, we have not talked about individual earmarks. I have no doubt we
will” during the budget season.
The directive from Patrick's Administration and Finance secretariat went
out to Cabinet secretaries, department heads and state chief financial
officers.
“Wherever they are, we ought to be looking for them,” Patrick said in
response to reporters’ questions about the “efficiencies” he wants to
find. “There are inevitably reports that get filed that are obsolete.
There may be regulations that are obsolete. We have to be looking at
that.”
When a reporter asked Patrick if he had any specific cuts or a target
number, Patrick simply raised his eyebrows, as aides started to close
around him.
State House News Service
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Budget cut options not available for public review
The budget cuts recommended by the Patrick Administration's secretaries
were filed on Friday and will not be made public, said Joseph Landolfi,
interim spokesman for the Executive Office of Administration and
Finance.
"These are budget working documents. We don't commonly share internal
documents," said Landolfi. The recommendations were due by the end of
the day on January 26 and Landolfi said he expects to have them reviewed
in "probably seven to 10 days."
Earlier this month, Gov. Deval Patrick asked his Cabinet members to
identify between 5 to 10 percent of cost-saving areas in their budgets
as he prepares his first budget proposal. On Jan. 19, Patrick publicized
his request for savings ideas from his Cabinet. “We owe our citizens the
most effective and efficient government possible,” he said in a
statement then.
Landolfi said some savings recommendations might make it into the budget
that Patrick files next month.
Citizens for Limited Taxation
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
January 30, 2007
Governor Patrick, Where Would You Cut?
Every time Citizens for Limited Taxation wants a tax
cut, or resists a tax hike, we are asked by our opponents: "Where would
you cut"? And we consistently maintain that, as taxpayers who provide
the state budget revenues, it is not our job to answer that question
before we get to keep some of our own money.
This is not to say we wouldn’t like to have a list. Clearly the best
people to know exactly where to cut are the state department heads. So
we were delighted when Governor Patrick asked them to come up with
recommendations on cutting the state budget within their areas of
expertise, and looked forward to seeing the suggestions.
The deadline for submitting the recommendations to the Governor was last
week. But when asked by a reporter, the Patrick Administration said it
wouldn’t share; not sharing with the media means not sharing with the
taxpayers – whose money is under discussion here.
How "can we, together", if, together, we don’t have all the information?
So CLT is filing a freedom of information request so that all citizens
can be included in the debate on how to deal with the predicted budget
deficit.
State House News Service
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
CLT questions keeping budget cut options under wraps
The advocacy group Citizens for Limited Taxation on Tuesday
questioned the Patrick administration’s decision to keep proposed budget
cut options under wraps.
In a statement, Barbara Anderson, who heads the group, said they
will be filing a Freedom of Information Act request for the documents.
“The deadline for submitting the recommendations to the Governor was
last week,” Anderson said. “But when asked by a reporter, the Patrick
Administration said it wouldn’t share; not sharing with the media means
not sharing with the taxpayers – whose money is under discussion here.”
An interim spokesman for the Executive Office of Administration and
Finance yesterday characterized the documents as “internal documents”
that aren’t normally made public and will be reviewed in 7 to 10 days.
Noting the state faces a revenue growth slowdown and a $1 billion gap
between projected revenues and expenses, Gov. Deval Patrick had asked
his Cabinet to identify savings of 5 to 10 percent in their budgets, and
touted his request, through the media, to the public.
“How ‘can we, together’, if, together, we don’t have all the
information? So CLT is filing a freedom of information request so that
all citizens can be included in the debate on how to deal with the
predicted budget deficit,” Anderson said.
Separately, the State House News Service this morning filed its own
Freedom of Information Act request for the documents.
NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this
material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior
interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes
only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
