Hosemann wants to reorganize state government

Columnist Invoice Crawford says the historical past of great authorities reorganization in Mississippi consists principally of failures.

Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann needs his Senate to develop a plan to reorganize state authorities.

Hosemann and Sen. Chris Johnson, chair of the Senate Authorities Buildings Committee, set that as a “prime precedence throughout subsequent 12 months’s session,” reported the Clarion-Ledger final week. This adopted a presentation to Johnson’s committee by former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson who efficiently reorganized authorities in Arkansas.

Good luck. The historical past of great authorities reorganization in Mississippi consists principally of failures.

As I write in my e-book A Republican’s Lament: Mississippi Wants Good Authorities Conservatives, “In 1932 the Institute for Authorities Analysis of the Brookings Establishment studied Mississippi authorities. Its Report on a Survey of the Group and Administration of State and County Authorities in Mississippi advisable a most of 12 companies. A examine by Highsaw and Mullican, The Development of State Administration in Mississippi, advised 17 companies in 1950. A bunch of CEOs, stated 32 companies in 1971. These considerate suggestions bought nowhere with the Mississippi Legislature which wielded the facility over company creation and dissolution. In 1817 the state began with eight administrative companies, by 1932 there have been 80 and by 1950 simply over 100, and in 2023 over 140.”

“We in Mississippi have over 200 boards and commissions,” Hosemann informed the Clarion-Ledger. “We’re laying the predicate right here for a very robust take a look at Mississippi authorities. We wish to have a really environment friendly authorities.”

In 1975, Republican gubernatorial candidate Gil Carmichael made “environment friendly and efficient” authorities through reorganization a cornerstone of his marketing campaign. Gil believed it might take a constitutional conference to get something carried out.

Gov. Kirk Fordice tried to get the legislature to streamline authorities throughout his two phrases to little avail.

As I discussed in a latest column, Gov. Haley Barbour in 2009 put forth 18 proposals to rightsize authorities. The legislature thwarted these proposals too.

That’s not to say that no authorities reorganization has occurred. It has, however these modifications have been minor in scope in comparison with the proposals of Carmichael, Fordice, and Barbour, in addition to a number of governors who preceded them.

The thrilling factor in Hosemann’s effort is that the legislature could also be bringing main proposals ahead, not the governor.

Apparently, Fordice and Barbour sought to save cash by way of reorganization, Hosemann stated his intent is in any other case.

“We in all probability will get monetary savings,” he informed the Clarion-Ledger, “however an important factor is to be efficient and be out there to folks we work for.”

In fact, a examine committee is one factor, legislative motion with governor approval fairly one other.

“Then make my pleasure full by being like-minded, having the identical love, being one in spirit and of 1 thoughts” – Philippians 2:2.