Senate GOP Bills to Streamline Government Pass Appropriations Committee

State Capitol, Oklahoma City—The Senate Appropriations Committee passed key pieces of the Senate Republican agenda to streamline state agencies and make state government more accountable and innovative.

"Senate Republicans are strongly committed to making government more accountable, more effective and more efficient for taxpayers," stated Senate Co-President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City. "It was pleasing to see bipartisan support in the Appropriations Committee for our proposals."

• SB 1865 by Coffee would create the Office of Accountability and Innovation within the Legislative Service Bureau. This office would conduct regular performance audits of agencies, recommend best practices to improve efficiencies in government, review the effectiveness of tax incentives, and bring new innovations to government to make it more effective for taxpayers.
  
  
• SB 1698 by Coffee would streamline government by merging most functions of the Criminal Justice Resource Center into the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
  
  
• SB 1709 by Coffee would streamline government by merging the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner into the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Many states have medical examiner functions under state law enforcement agencies.