JEFFERSON CITY -- In an effort to reform state government and make it more accountable to the people of Missouri, Sen. Chuck Gross, R-St. Charles, has sponsored legislation that would place a Sunset Clause on all new state programs. Senate Bill 544 has passed the Missouri Senate and now awaits a public hearing in the House of Representative's Budget Committee.

"For many years, Missourians have had the sense that state government is putting its own departments and agencies before the people of Missouri," said Sen. Gross. "It's time to change that, and I believe this bill is a good beginning."

SB 544 would set up a Sunset Commission to review state agencies and programs and recommend ways to streamline state government and eliminate overlap and duplication of services. This reform measure would cost nothing to implement, and is expected to save Missouri millions of dollars.

"This bill is based on a Texas law, which has resulted in the abolishment of 43 agencies and has saved Texas taxpayers more than $630 million," Sen. Gross said. "This isn't just about cost savings, it's also about delivering to people the protections and services the program was intended to deliver in the first place."

Under this legislation, each new program enacted into law would sunset after a period of not more than six years. A program could be reauthorized for a period of up to 12 years.

Two years before a program is scheduled to sunset, the agency responsible for administering the program would be required to submit certain information regarding the public need for the program to the Joint Committee on Legislative Research.

The committee would then hold public hearings and issue a report to the General Assembly with recommendations on whether the program should continue, be reorganized, sunset or be consolidated within state agencies not under review.

"Times change, but the Legislature does not change with the times," said Sen. Gross. "A Sunset Act would force us to go back and look at programs to see if they are still effective."