BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 3833

By: Harper-Brown

Government Efficiency & Reform

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The Sunset Advisory Commission, which consists of five members of the senate, five members of the house, and two public members appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and the lieutenant governor, was established to create an ongoing and regular evaluation of government effectiveness and efficiency. The state agencies that are subject to the Texas Sunset Act typically undergo a sunset review once every twelve years. Commission staff works with each agency under review to perform an evaluation by examining the programs and services the agency provides, the management and staff of the agency, and basic agency operations. Commission staff issues a report with recommendations to improve or modify the agency, holds a public hearing to present the report findings, and continues to collaborate with agency staff as legislation necessary to enact any proposed changes is developed.

Observers report that by streamlining state government, the Sunset Advisory Commission has been responsible for sizable savings to the state since its founding, abolishing 37 agencies outright and abolishing 41 others after transferring certain functions to existing or newly created agencies. C.S.H.B. 3833 seeks to enhance the commission's effectiveness by articulating its central purpose and objective.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 3833 amends the Government Code to establish that the purpose of the Sunset Advisory Commission is to review and redesign state agencies in an effort to streamline the services, processes, and procedures of each agency reviewed, to evaluate the justification for the agency's existence, and to evaluate the extent to which the agency's services meet the needs of the citizens the agency serves. The bill establishes that the commission's primary objective is to create a more innovative and efficient government that ensures the highest-quality services to citizens of the state at the lowest possible cost.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2013.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 3833 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and highlighted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.