Our state currently has more than 200 state boards and commissions. From advocating on behalf of Missouri’s children and seniors to overseeing regulated professions, the citizens who serve on these boards and commissions are essential to the numerous functions of state government. They are talented, intelligent and experienced professionals.
Unfortunately, as so often happens in government, time and politics have taken their toll; and the reality is we now have far too many boards and commissions. Many of the existing groups are redundant in nature, unable to meet due to vacancies or have members with expired terms. In an effort to get Missouri’s system of boards and commissions back on track, in April of this year, the governor issued Executive Order 17-11, creating the Boards and Commissions Task Force.
The 12-member Task Force was specifically asked to study Missouri’s boards and commissions, to determine whether each board and commission is necessary, effective and efficient. Following its work, the Task Force released its findings in a 26-page report on Nov. 1. In short, the Task Force is recommending eliminating roughly 450 gubernatorial appointments, either by consolidating certain boards and commissions or altogether disbanding them.
For the most part, the men and women serving on these boards and commissions are there for no other reason than out of a desire to improve the lives of Missourians and serve their state. However, when government becomes too bloated — when there’s too much bureaucratic red tape — it can’t function properly, and our citizens lose out. The Task Force has given Missouri lawmakers a detailed road map to making our state government more efficient and more effective, and it’s my hope the Legislature will use the 2018 session to start implementing some of its recommendations.
As always, I encourage my constituents to contact me throughout the year with comments, questions or suggestions by calling my office at (573) 751-5713. To find more information about the bills I sponsor, visit www.senate.mo.gov/brown. Thank you for reading this and for your participation in state government.