Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation applauds the filing of Senate Bill 1299 by State Sen. Bryan Hughes and House Bill 3116 by State Rep. John Smithee, which would implement efficiency audits of all state agencies to improve the quality and performance of public services and better utilize taxpayer dollars.
By requiring state agencies to undergo regular efficiency audits, Texas would continue to improve the services it offers to its citizens, while ensuring the tax burden remains low by eliminating duplicative and/or potentially unnecessary services and studying innovative approaches to deliver existing services at lower costs. These audits, conducted by an independent third party, are essential to ensuring that Texas remains an attractive and competitive state for people and businesses.
“Private, independent, third-party efficiency audits have proven to be an effective tool to improve the performance of state services. In the previous legislative session, for example, the legislature passed requirements for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to undergo efficiency audits, the results of which identified potential savings to taxpayers of at least 41 million dollars annually,” said TPPF Economist Daniel Sánchez-Piñol. “The 88th Legislature should build on this foundation by enacting legislation that subjects all state agencies to regular efficiency audits and thereby safeguards the proper use of public resources.”
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