Today, State Senator Will Haskell (D-Westport) and State Representative Kerry Wood (D-Rocky Hill, Newington, Wethersfield) highlighted the continued development of legislation passed last year with intent toward improved efficiency and reduced spending in state agencies.
Sen. Haskell and Rep. Wood co-sponsored Senate Bill 682 (Public Act 19-10) AN ACT ESTABLISHING A REWARD PROGRAM FOR STATE EMPLOYEE REPORTING OF WASTEFUL PRACTICES, enthusiastically passed during the 2019 legislative session after support from state employees with suggestions for improving wasteful practices within state government.
The bill offers state employees who find wasteful practices in their agencies up to 5% of the net savings after they report the practice and it is made more efficient. Once verified by the Auditors of Public Accounts, the agency will make a lump-sum payment to the employee using the funds of the division or department within the agency that benefited from the cost savings.
“This legislation creates a win-win relationship for the state and its employees while encouraging efficiency and reduced spending,” Sen. Haskell said. “I am excited to see what benefits the state can receive from innovative advances like this. Most importantly, this will ensure every taxpayer dollar is spent effectively.”
“I heard from many state employees in my district who said they would like to be part of solution to reducing redundancies and improving how state government works for the citizens of Connecticut,” Rep. Wood said. “This bill is a start to finding cost savings and I’m looking forward to its success.”
Agencies appointed representatives to lead the program and educated state employees about the policy, which has been in effect since Nov 1, 2019. State auditors will be brought in to assess employee suggestions within the year. The state agency suggestion coordinator will review any suggestion received to determine whether it is eligible for consideration.
While the current administration has committed to streamlining state services and eliminating duplicative processes, legislators felt that state employees are sometimes the best resource for offering solutions and should also be part of this process.