Office of Accountability, Chief Information Officer Bills Pass Senate Appropriations Committee Today

The Senate Appropriations Committee passed two bills which are part of the Senate Republican legislative agenda today. SB646 and SB980, which would form the state Office of Accountability and Innovation; and a state Chief Information Officer respectively, are authored by Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee.

“When passed and signed into law, these two new offices will greatly enhance the efficiency of state government,” said Coffee.

The Office of Accountability will, as it has successfully in other states, be charged with performance audits of state agencies and boards, and offering recommendations in how to more efficiently conduct the business of the state, and to bring more innovative practices and technologies to government. The office would more than pay for itself in savings to the state,” he continued.

“The Chief Information Officer will get our state agencies and departments speaking in one language technologically.

“For too long, state government has had multiple techno-kingdoms that cost us in real dollars and lost productivity,” Coffee added. “The CIO will be a giant step toward moving our state further into the 21st century.

“I look forward to taking these bills to the Senate floor and on to the House and ultimately seeing them signed into law by Governor Henry,” Coffee concluded.