Ohio Senate passes bill that could eliminate governor's agencies

[TexasTowelie]

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would eliminate state departments and agencies operating under the governor unless legislators decided to keep them.

Every two years, under the bill, the General Assembly would review half of the state's agencies and departments and evaluate their effectiveness and performance. The departments of Transportation, Taxation and 23 others would have to make the case for their continued existence. Departments would expire unless renewed by passing a bill, with some time allotted for phase out.

Senate President Keith Faber, who sponsored the bill, said the change would reassert legislative authority. Faber, a Celina Republican, said the legislation is long-needed and he refuted claims the fast-tracked bill was a secret ploy to eliminate state government.

"If some bureaucrat decides he doesn't want to play nice in the agency review process or the governor decides the legislature is all full of phooey, maybe this is necessary to set that balance," Faber said.

Read more: http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2016/09/ohio_senate_passes_bill_that_w.html

[mrsv]

1. Oh My

I worked for ODOT..I hate to hear this

[TexasTowelie]

2. I was also a state employee

and while I can understand sunset reviews periodically in order to control bureaucracy it required moves to eliminate agencies rather than affirmative votes to continue agencies. There will be too much politics played in this situation and it is a bad bill.

Welcome to DU.

[Marthe48]

3. But OH state senators won't fire themselves

I absolutely hate they are running my state into the ground. I never thought of Ohio as backward and I don't know how it happened.