Challenging the status quo : toward smaller, smarter government : a report from the Texas Performance Review.

Abstract

This report is Volume 2 of the first Texas Performance Review of state government issued : under the supervision of Carole Keeton Rylander, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Portions of this report are adapted from a Texas Performance Review report developed under the previous administration of Comptroller John Sharp and released to the public in December 1998. Other recommendations in this volume have been substantially revised or modified since their December 1998 release; still others are entirely new and appear here for the first time. Volume 2 of Challenging the Status Quo: Toward Smaller, Smarter Government provides detailed discussions of proposals developed by the Comptroller's office. These proposals are divided into eight sections that generally correspond to major program areas of state government. These include: • Education • Regulatory Reform • Cross-Government • General Government • State Employment • Health and Human Services • Public Safety • Housing Proposals are described individually within each section and are numbered consecutively. For instance, ED 1 is the first issue within the Education section of Volume 2. Abbreviations for numbering proposals within each major functional area are as follows: ED Education RR Regulatory Reform CG Cross-Government GG General Government SE State Employment HHS Health and Human Services PS Public Safety and Corrections HOU Housing Similar numbering conventions were used in each previous Texas Performance Review report. In all, Challenging the Status Quo includes 86 separate proposals and 199 individual recommendations for state government. If implemented, these recommendations would save the state a total of $1.25 billion in all funds over fiscal 2000 and 2001 and would produce additional savings in subsequent years. A summary of all proposals and their fiscal implications is contained in this report's Appendix.