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Senator Tom Briese introduced a bill Tuesday to carry out an efficiency audit of state government. LB213 would require an outside audit of all state agencies of Nebraska government, looking for efficiencies that can save the state money and improve services to Nebraskans. Briese said, “I’ve introduced this bill to complement and build upon the great work of the Ricketts administration in making our state government more efficient. As elected officials, I believe we have a solemn responsibility to the taxpayers to be good stewards of their dollars. I think most people across the political spectrum want to see tax dollars used to get as much “bang for their buck” as possible. That’s why I introduced LB 213.”

Briese went on to say, “I strongly believe that we should do everything we can to make sure that every tax dollar is accounted for, and that every tax dollar is being used in the most efficient way possible. This is a principle you see in almost every successful major business, and I have always believed that it is a good practice to run government like a business. When major companies want to save money, they hire experts in their fields, and experts in performance efficiency, to help them identify and carry out cost-saving measures that don’t hurt the end product or service that the company offers. That is exactly the principle here.”

Briese added, “When we’re talking about how we spend taxpayers’ hard earned dollars, we should never settle for the status quo. We should always be striving for improvement. And when some national rankings suggest our state government spending per capita and spending per GDP falls anywhere from eighth to 14th highest, I believe there is room for improvement.” Briese noted that in other states, where similar outside audits have been conducted, the return on investment to the state has been extremely favorable.

Finally, Briese concluded, “We aren’t talking about reducing government services or programs: We are talking about making sure that those services and programs are run responsibly, efficiently, and with as little waste, duplication of cost, or untapped potential as possible.”