Sen. Ritchie Named to Senate Task Force to Cut Waste

Senate Task Force On Government Efficiency To Investigate Bureaucracy

State Senator Patty Ritchie announced that she was named to a bipartisan legislative panel investigating waste and inefficiency in New York State government.

Senator Ritchie’s appointment to the Senate Task Force on Government Efficiency was made official by Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos.

“Making government operate more efficiently means lower costs for overburdened state taxpayers, a better economic climate for our state, and an invitation for businesses to create new jobs,” Senator Ritchie said.

Since taking office in January, Senator Ritchie has been focused on cutting the cost of state government, including:

· voting to enact the first state budget in 15 years that spent less than the previous year;

· supporting creation of Gov Cuomo’s Spending and Government Efficiency (SAGE) Commission, which is looking at mergers and consolidations of redundant state agencies and authorities;

· sponsoring and passing new laws to cut bureaucracy and make state agencies more efficient;

· creating a “mandate relief working group,” comprising leaders from Central and Northern New York, to identify Albany-imposed wasteful rules that add to local taxpayers’ costs.

“Working together, across party lines, we’ve made progress, but there’s still more to do. I look forward to working with Senators from across the state to find new ways to save, and bring relief to taxpayers,” Senator Ritchie said.

The new task force will be chaired by Republican Senator Tom O’Mara, of Western New York, and Democrat Sen. Jeffrey Klein, of The Bronx.

Other members of the Task Force include Sens. Joe Griffo, Betty Little, David Valesky, David Carlucci, Jack Martins and Diane Savino.