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2008 SESSION

084197724
HOUSE BILL NO. 963
Offered January 9, 2008
Prefiled January 8, 2008
A BILL to amend and reenact § 30-58.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to quadrennial legislative efficiency review.
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Patron-- Shannon
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That § 30-58.1 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 30-58.1. Powers and duties of Commission.

The Commission shall have the following powers and duties:

A. Make performance reviews of operations of state agencies to ascertain that sums appropriated have been, or are being expended for the purposes for which such appropriations were made and to evaluate the effectiveness of programs in accomplishing legislative intent;

B. Study on a continuing basis the operations, practices and duties of state agencies, as they relate to efficiency in the utilization of space, personnel, equipment and facilities;

C. Make such special studies and reports of the operations and functions of state agencies as it deems appropriate and as may be requested by the General Assembly;

D. Assess, analyze, and evaluate the social and economic costs and benefits of any proposed mandated health insurance benefit or mandated provider, including, but not limited to, the mandate's predicted effect on health care coverage premiums and related costs, net costs or savings to the health care system, and other relevant issues, and report its findings with respect to the proposed mandate to the Special Advisory Commission on Mandated Health Insurance Benefits; and

E. Make such reports on its findings and recommendations at such time and in such manner as the Commission deems proper submitting same to the agencies concerned, to the Governor and to the General Assembly. Such reports as are submitted shall relate to the following matters:

1. Ways in which the agencies may operate more economically and efficiently;

2. Ways in which agencies can provide better services to the Commonwealth and to the people; and

3. Areas in which functions of state agencies are duplicative, overlapping, or failing to accomplish legislative objectives or for any other reason should be redefined or redistributed.

F. Review quadrennially the efficiency of each house and all agencies within the legislative branch of state government regarding the conduct of their operations. Such review shall include but not be limited to an evaluation of the performance of each house, its committees, and members in the following areas: (i) overhead; (ii) human resources; (iii) procurement; (iv) use and management of facilities, such as minimizing paper usage and participating in recycling programs required under § 10.1-1425.6; (v) financial management; (vi) transportation; (vii) technology planning, including using available technology at meetings and on the floor of the General Assembly, and to coordinate the scheduling of meetings and the minimization of travel when the General Assembly is not in session; (viii) energy management; and (ix) other areas identified in the review that present opportunities to improve efficiency. In addition, the review shall also include an examination of all expenditures, the consideration of best practices, identification of opportunities for improving operational efficiencies, and costs reduction for each house. As part of the first assessment, the Commission shall recommend to the General Assembly whether § 30-19.12 should be amended to moderate the per diem payment system to members attending pro forma sessions. However, the review shall not address the effectiveness of any legislative function.

The Commission may contract for services to perform the review required in this subsection through an open and competitive negotiation process in accordance with the provisions of the Virginia Public Procurement Act (§ 2.2-4300 et seq.). The contract shall be awarded to the firm that submits the most competitive proposal to provide such services, considering the costs of the services, the qualifications of the firm to provide the services, the experience of the firm in conducting similar reviews, its expertise in accounting generally, and such other relevant factors as may be identified by the Commission.

The Chairman shall submit the Commission’s initial findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by the first day of the 2009 Regular Session of the General Assembly, and, thereafter, every four years on the first day of the Regular Session, pursuant to the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents. The Commission’s reports shall be posted on the General Assembly’s website. 

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance for the review upon the request of the Director.