Latest news with #DivisionofGovernmentEfficiency
Forbes
11-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Regulatory And DOGE-Style Reforms Are Happening In States Nationwide
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 18: U.S. President Donald Trump listens as Governor Kevin Stitt (R-OK) speaks ... More during a roundtable at the State Dining Room of the White House June 18, 2020 in Washington, DC. President Trump held a roundtable discussion with Governors and small business owners on the reopening of American's small business. (Photo by) President Trump's efforts to reduce the size of government and improve the federal regulatory process are getting plenty of attention, but he is not the only one with these goals. In states across the country, legislators and governors are taking steps to improve their regulatory environments. If done well, these reforms should make it easier for people to start and operate businesses, which will create jobs and boost economic growth. The federal Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, is trying to streamline federal agencies by eliminating redundancies, modernizing technology, and simplifying processes so government better serves taxpayers. In the same spirit, dozens of states are implementing their own versions of DOGE. In Oklahoma, Governor J. Kevin Stitt created a Division of Government Efficiency led by an advisor who reports directly to him. The Division is tasked with identifying wasteful spending to make Oklahoma a top state to do business. So far it has identified over $19 million in potential savings and more than 67,000 hours of potential time savings. In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis created an Executive Office DOGE team to identify and report on unnecessary spending across the state, including within the state's university system and local governments. Several other states have similar initiatives, including Indiana, New Hampshire, Iowa, and Missouri. The specific goals of each effort vary, but all of them are trying to capture the momentum from last year's election when voters expressed their desire to reduce the size and scope of government. DOGE-style initiatives are not the only way states are trying to reduce the costs government imposes on entrepreneurs. Many laws today are written in vague language that omits important details. The details are then filled in by the agencies tasked with implementing and enforcing the laws, and the resulting regulations largely determine what is allowed under the law. As Kansas State Representative Barbara Wasinger put it 'Bureaucrats have become the legislators, they legislate by regulation'. On the surface, leveraging agency expertise makes some sense. After all, we may get better laws if those with the most knowledge design them. The problem is that state constitutions empower legislatures to make laws, not agencies. As James Maddison warned us, letting the groups that enforce the laws also write the laws is a step towards tyranny. This delegation of lawmaking is also a plausible reason we have so much regulation in this country. Agencies are less accountable to voters than legislators, and their whole reason for being is to regulate. If they are not actively monitored by legislators who are directly accountable to voters, agencies are likely to overregulate. To limit this delegation of authority, Wyoming and Utah have followed Kansas in passing legislation that requires lawmakers to analyze and approve regulations that are projected to have a significant impact on their states' economy. These laws are modeled after the federal Regulations from the Executive In Need of Scrutiny Act, or REINS Act. The hope is that lawmaker oversight will force agencies to thoroughly consider the costs and benefits of regulations. If agencies advance regulations that do not make sense, lawmakers can revoke them. Several other states are considering similar REINS-style laws, including West Virginia, Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Ohio. While the jury is still out on how effective the DOGE-style initiatives and laws to improve legislative oversight of regulations will be, there are reasons to be optimistic. Dozens of studies show that too much regulation reduces job creation, wages, and entrepreneurship while increasing prices and poverty. Even worse, the negative impacts of regulation are most acutely felt by small businesses. According to one recent study by economists Dustin Chambers, Patrick A. McLaughlin, and Tyler Richards, an increase in regulation reduces the number of big and small firms but only reduces employment in small firms. They also find that consecutive years of high regulatory growth amplify the negative impact on small firms. Their findings are consistent with the theory that regulation often benefits large, established businesses at the expense of smaller upstarts that lack the resources and staff to comply with numerous and complicated rules. Reducing regulation should reduce these harmful effects and stimulate job growth, especially among small businesses that are the backbone of many communities. There is widespread bipartisan agreement that the United States is overregulated. It is too hard to build housing, roads, and power plants. Labor regulations like occupational licensing rules prevent people from finding meaningful work. Environmental regulations often prevent us from helping the environment. States that reduce regulation, improve their regulatory processes, and cut government waste will help make America a place where things get done again.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
For third time since 2020, Stitt orders state fleet downsized. Have those efforts worked?
Long before DOGE-OK was a thing, Gov. Kevin Stitt tried to save Oklahoma money through one persistent quest. Stitt announced the creation, via executive order, of the Division of Government Efficiency — modeled after a similar agency at the federal level — during his State of the State speech earlier this month. But two weeks earlier, he issued another, less-publicized executive order, saying he's 'dedicating state efforts to further reduce the number of state-owned vehicles in operation.' It's at least his third effort, since taking office in January 2019, to reduce the number of state-owned vehicles. He issued similar executive orders in 2020 and 2023. So, why the passion for that particular issue? 'I know the waste and I know the people that have vehicles,' Stitt said in January, a few days after issuing his latest executive order on the subject. 'I see the lots. Just trying to find out how many vehicles we have has been a challenge. … I think we're down 600, 700 vehicles. My goal is to get rid of 1,000 vehicles and just be able to share those vehicles more efficiently, just trying to get the agencies to work together. That's why I like consolidation a little bit, I like sharing some of the resources that we already have in state government.' Stitt told the story of former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who governed the Hoosier State from 2005 to 2013. Indiana's state vehicle fleet had grown in size enough that a state agency wanted funding for a new parking garage. Daniels was skeptical that Indiana state government needed so many vehicles. Daniels, Stitt said, had staffers place a penny on the right back tire of state-owned vehicles in Indianapolis, the state's capital. A few weeks later, they went back to see if the pennies were still on the tires. If they were, the governor ordered those vehicles to be sold. The garage didn't get built. 'I thought, man, that's a brilliant idea,' Stitt said. Stitt's first order on the subject was issued Feb. 11, 2020. It noted 'it has been brought to my attention that the State of Oklahoma owns perhaps in excess of 9,000' vehicles, 'and it is probable that more than a few are under-utilized and not necessary in order for the State to perform its services to the citizens of the State.' He ordered the head of every executive agency to report any agency vehicle that had less than 4,800 miles of usage that year. But a month later, the COVID-19 pandemic began raging and Stitt had more pressing issues with which to deal. Stitt made a second attempt to get a handle on the size of the state fleet in May 2023 with another executive order. That order noted the state 'has reinitiated an aggressive push to downsize the state fleet' and that from Jan. 1 of that year until the order was issued, the state had downsized its fleet by more than 350 vehicles. That order said for the state to be able to accurately track all of its vehicles, executive agency leaders needed to work with the Office of Management and Enterprise Services to install automatic vehicle locators in all state vehicles. Stitt's most recent order on the subject came down Jan. 23. It instructs executive agency heads that, by March 31, to provide to OMES information on any vehicle in control of the state agency with less than 15,000 miles of usage in 2023. 'The administrative head of every state agency shall work with the office of Fleet Management in OMES to return all state vehicles with less than 12,000 miles of usage in 2023 to OMES for proper disposition,' the order stated. Exceptions will be made for special-purpose vehicles, such as winter storm salt trucks. How successful have the governor's efforts to reduce the fleet been? The results seem mixed. Abegail Cave, a spokeswoman for Stitt, told The Oklahoman that during 2024, state agencies self-reported the use of 11,851 vehicles ― far more than the approximately 9,000 mentioned in his 2020 executive order — with a total accumulated mileage of 40,627,192 miles. That said, 616 surplus vehicles were sold by the state during 2024, Cave said. So the size of the state fleet was reduced. Stitt said Wednesday the state now has 1,000 fewer vehicles than when he took office, although a spokesperson for Stitt wasn't immediately able to say how many vehicles the state had when he became governor in 2019, so the governor's claim couldn't be verified. Stitt criticized those who might think the push for fewer state government vehicles didn't matter in the context of efforts to reduce government spending. 'Don't say it's a small part of the budget,' Stitt said. 'If I can cut 1,000 vehicles, I think most Oklahomans would say, 'Great job, governor — let's cut that.' What may be small to you may not be small to others. I'm going to cut as much as I can.' This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Gov. Stitt issues 3rd order on reducing state-owned vehicles
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Stitt hires ‘unpaid, special volunteer' to lead Oklahoma's new government efficiency division
Oklahoma State Capitol Building seal (Photo by Kyle Phillips/For Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY — Gov. Kevin Stitt on Friday tapped a businessman and economist to head the state's new Division of Government Efficiency. Marc Nuttle will serve as the 'unpaid, special volunteer' tasked with examining the inner workings of government to develop strategies to eliminate wasteful spending and make government operations more efficient, according to a press release. 'My mission is simple: to ensure every tax dollar is spent strategically with purpose and accountability,' Nuttle said in a statement. 'Time is of the essence.' Stitt announced the creation of the Oklahoma-centric division during his State of the State address earlier this month. Oklahoma's effort is modeled after the federal Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, launched by President Donald Trump. 'We've stopped agencies from contracting with lobbyists and using outside PR firms, and we're on track to have fewer state employees at the end of my term than when I took office,' Stitt said Friday. 'Marc Nuttle is volunteering his time to lead this effort and root out additional waste. With his help, we'll leave state government leaner than we found it.' Nuttle will have immediate access to agency records, software and IT systems as part of an executive order issued by Stitt forming the division. Nuttle will be required to submit his findings no later than March 31. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Republican-led states rush to align with Trump's MAGA agenda
Republican governors and state lawmakers are rushing to explicitly align themselves with or mimic some of the most prominent actions President Donald Trump has taken since he was sworn in. As state legislatures have convened across the country in recent weeks, elected GOP officials have sought to advance bills designed to help facilitate Trump's mass deportation plans — some of which are named after or specifically reference the president. And governors and lawmakers in at least 11 states have attempted to create their own version of the Department of Government Efficiency, the outside advisory commission that Trump put tech billionaire Elon Musk in charge of to find ways to cut federal spending. The moves, largely centered in solidly red states, at the outset of Trump's second term underscore the political grip he has on the GOP base and the desire of elected officials in the party to be seen as nothing less than loyal to him. 'Whether you want to call it a mandate or just a strong victory, it wouldn't seem unusual to me for state leaders to look to emulate the example' set by Trump, said Zack Roday, a Republican operative who has worked for the political arms of several conservative governors. 'It makes perfect sense — the labeling is less the feature than the ethos and joining the wave that has swept across the country.' The most recent example came in Oklahoma, where Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday issued an executive order to create a 'Division of Government Efficiency' (called DOGE-OK) within the state's agency in charge of human resources and information technology. A press release from Stitt said the agency would be designed to 'focus on eliminating wasteful government spending, improving efficiency, and ensuring taxpayer dollars are being used effectively across state governments.' Trump's DOGE has already upended the federal government in just the past few weeks, with Musk gaining access to the Treasury Department's payment system and suggesting that the U.S. Agency for International Development would be shut down. Stitt's office said the Oklahoma division will be led by a 'chief DOGE advisor,' an unpaid position that reports directly to the governor. A Stitt spokesperson didn't respond to questions from NBC News about who was being tapped to fill that position. In New Hampshire, Gov. Kelly Ayotte similarly signed an executive order the day she was sworn in last month to create a 'Commission on Government Efficiency' (COGE). Ayotte's commission is composed of 15 members appointed by her and legislative leaders, and will be charged with submitting to her 'proposals to streamline government, cut inefficient spending, and find the most efficient ways to serve the people of New Hampshire.' The commission so far includes a former governor, current and former state lawmakers and some local business leaders. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, both Republicans, have also signaled their desire to move forward with DOGE-like apparatuses. Reynolds has said she intends to launch a DOGE task force in Iowa, while Landry signed an executive order in December to create a 'Fiscal Responsibility Program' with goals similar to Trump's DOGE. Plus, several Republican-led legislatures in states that have a Democratic governor — including Wisconsin, Arizona and North Carolina — have recently launched state legislative committees that are in line with DOGE. Republican lawmakers in Idaho, Texas, Kansas and Missouri have also said they were planning to introduce proposals to create similar committees. Republican state officials have also sought to help facilitate or reinforce Trump's hard-line immigration policies. Oklahoma's state superintendent, Ryan Walters, who oversees the State Board of Education, last week approved new rules requiring all families enrolling children in public schools to provide proof of their U.S. citizenship. The new rules — if approved by the governor and the state Legislature — would require public school districts to track students who cannot verify their immigration status and report those figures to state officials. That would, in effect, help create a new state-run system to help track undocumented people in the state — and could advance local elements of Trump's mass deportation push. 'You have to have the data around where your kids are coming from. We will make sure that President Trump and his administration have this information,' Walters said at a meeting of the Oklahoma State Board of Education last week. Critics argue that the action would almost certainly violate a 1982 Supreme Court ruling that found the government cannot prevent children of undocumented people from attending public schools. Meanwhile, the Republican governors of Tennessee and Florida convened special sessions last month explicitly intended to address or work with the Trump administration's deportation push. Some of the bills that flowed through those sessions were even named for the president, such as the Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy (TRUMP) Act in Florida In Florida, initial proposals for the special session included repealing in-state college tuition for undocumented students, bolstering state and local cooperation with federal immigration authorities, creating a state immigration enforcement officer role to specifically coordinate with the federal government and to strengthen the state's deportation regulations. Gov. Ron DeSantis initially called a special legislative session aimed at ensuring state laws were closely aligned with the flurry of executive orders signed by Trump. (Lawmakers rebuked DeSantis' special session and ended up calling their own). The final bill included mandatory death sentences for undocumented immigrants who commit crimes such as murder and child rape and boosting sentencing guidelines for other crimes. Much of what was passed, however, is likely to be vetoed by DeSantis due to the ongoing power struggle with the GOP-led Legislature. In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee convened a special legislative session to 'address public safety measures regarding illegal immigration, as the incoming Trump Administration has called on states to prepare for policy implementation.' Tennessee lawmakers last week passed several bills enacting conservative policy on education and immigration issues, including those that created a central state office for immigration issues and financial incentives to local police departments helping enforce federal immigration actions. Another measure made it a felony for local officeholders to vote in support of sanctuary policies. Groups advocating progressive state-level policies blasted the plethora of moves in conservative states across the nation. 'Rightwing state lawmakers are not only acting as a rubber stamp for Trump's worst instincts and policies, but they're also pushing even more extreme policies that we know will increase costs, undermine our personal freedoms, and make our country less safe,' said Mandara Meyers, chief programs officer of The States Project, a Democratic-aligned group that has spent significantly to boost the party's state legislative prospects in recent years. This article was originally published on
NBC News
05-02-2025
- Business
- NBC News
Republican-led states rush to align with Trump's MAGA agenda
Republican governors and state lawmakers are rushing to explicitly align themselves with or mimic some of the most prominent actions President Donald Trump has taken since he was sworn in. As state legislatures have convened across the country in recent weeks, elected GOP officials have sought to advance bills designed to help facilitate Trump's mass deportation plans — some of which are named after or specifically reference the president. And governors and lawmakers in at least 11 states have attempted to create their own version of the Department of Government Efficiency, the outside advisory commission that Trump put tech billionaire Elon Musk in charge of to find ways to cut federal spending. The moves, largely centered in solidly red states, at the outset of Trump's second term underscore the political grip he has on the GOP base and the desire of elected officials in the party to be seen as nothing less than loyal to him. 'Whether you want to call it a mandate or just a strong victory, it wouldn't seem unusual to me for state leaders to look to emulate the example' set by Trump, said Zack Roday, a Republican operative who has worked for the political arms of several conservative governors. 'It makes perfect sense — the labeling is less the feature than the ethos and joining the wave that has swept across the country.' The most recent example came in Oklahoma, where Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday issued an executive order to create a 'Division of Government Efficiency' (called DOGE-OK) within the state's agency in charge of human resources and information technology. A press release from Stitt said the agency would be designed to 'focus on eliminating wasteful government spending, improving efficiency, and ensuring taxpayer dollars are being used effectively across state governments.' Trump's DOGE has already upended the federal government in just the past few weeks, with Musk gaining access to the Treasury Department's payment system and suggesting that the U.S. Agency for International Development would be shut down. Stitt's office said the Oklahoma division will be led by a 'chief DOGE advisor,' an unpaid position that reports directly to the governor. A Stitt spokesperson didn't respond to questions from NBC News about who was being tapped to fill that position. In New Hampshire, Gov. Kelly Ayotte similarly signed an executive order the day she was sworn in last month to create a 'Commission on Government Efficiency' (COGE). Ayotte's commission is composed of 15 members appointed by her and legislative leaders, and will be charged with submitting to her 'proposals to streamline government, cut inefficient spending, and find the most efficient ways to serve the people of New Hampshire.' The commission so far includes a former governor, current and former state lawmakers and some local business leaders. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, both Republicans, have also signaled their desire to move forward with DOGE-like apparatuses. Reynolds has said she intends to launch a DOGE task force in Iowa, while Landry signed an executive order in December to create a 'Fiscal Responsibility Program' with goals similar to Trump's DOGE. Plus, several Republican-led legislatures in states that have a Democratic governor — including Wisconsin, Arizona and North Carolina — have recently launched state legislative committees that are in line with DOGE. Republican lawmakers in Idaho, Texas, Kansas and Missouri have also said they were planning to introduce proposals to create similar committees. Republicans seek to back up Trump's immigration moves Republican state officials have also sought to help facilitate or reinforce Trump's hard-line immigration policies. Oklahoma's state superintendent, Ryan Walters, who oversees the State Board of Education, last week approved new rules requiring all families enrolling children in public schools to provide proof of their U.S. citizenship. The new rules — if approved by the governor and the state Legislature — would require public school districts to track students who cannot verify their immigration status and report those figures to state officials. That would, in effect, help create a new state-run system to help track undocumented people in the state — and could advance local elements of Trump's mass deportation push. 'You have to have the data around where your kids are coming from. We will make sure that President Trump and his administration have this information,' Walters said at a meeting of the Oklahoma State Board of Education last week. Critics argue that the action would almost certainly violate a 1982 Supreme Court ruling that found the government cannot prevent children of undocumented people from attending public schools. Meanwhile, the Republican governors of Tennessee and Florida convened special sessions last month explicitly intended to address or work with the Trump administration's deportation push. Some of the bills that flowed through those sessions were even named for the president, such as the Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy (TRUMP) Act in Florida In Florida, initial proposals for the special session included repealing in-state college tuition for undocumented students, bolstering state and local cooperation with federal immigration authorities, creating a state immigration enforcement officer role to specifically coordinate with the federal government and to strengthen the state's deportation regulations. Gov. Ron DeSantis initially called a special legislative session aimed at ensuring state laws were closely aligned with the flurry of executive orders signed by Trump. (Lawmakers rebuked DeSantis' special session and ended up calling their own). The final bill included mandatory death sentences for undocumented immigrants who commit crimes such as murder and child rape and boosting sentencing guidelines for other crimes. Much of what was passed, however, is likely to be vetoed by DeSantis due to the ongoing power struggle with the GOP-led Legislature. In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee convened a special legislative session to 'address public safety measures regarding illegal immigration, as the incoming Trump Administration has called on states to prepare for policy implementation.' Tennessee lawmakers last week passed several bills enacting conservative policy on education and immigration issues, including those that created a central state office for immigration issues and financial incentives to local police departments helping enforce federal immigration actions. Another measure made it a felony for local officeholders to vote in support of sanctuary policies. Groups advocating progressive state-level policies blasted the plethora of moves in conservative states across the nation. 'Rightwing state lawmakers are not only acting as a rubber stamp for Trump's worst instincts and policies, but they're also pushing even more extreme policies that we know will increase costs, undermine our personal freedoms, and make our country less safe,' said Mandara Meyers, chief programs officer of The States Project, a Democratic-aligned group that has spent significantly to boost the party's state legislative prospects in recent years.
