Did you hear that Alaska has once again a chance for its very own steady and reasonable “DOGE” with teeth that involves the legislative branch but does not involve a chainsaw? That’s right, folks. Yours truly filed the Sunset Commission bill in the 32nd and 33rd Legislatures and has again in the 34th. It’s SB 107 this go-around. When fiscal times get tough, the tough get going and realize a Sunset Commission is the right thing to do.
”What would your bill do?” you ask.
It would set up an independent, objective commission of people with business expertise in efficient operations and budgets to review performance and finance audits of all state agencies on a rotating basis. This Sunset Commission would then put their recommendations into a bill that the legislature would have to take up or the agency would sunset.
The commission’s recommendations would be focused on efficiency, lowering costs, organizational structure, appropriate budgeting, eliminating unneeded or outdated functions or positions, avoiding duplication, ensuring timeliness in processing permits, licenses, applications, and more.
SB 107 is all about making sure your public dollars are getting the best bang for the buck. We need a Sunset Commission so you, the people of Alaska, can be confident that the government of, for, and by you is not wasting or misdirecting tax dollars, that state agencies are lean, mean, well-run machines – not bloated, misguided, and poorly run entities.
Texas has something similar and has saved hundreds of millions of dollars over time. We could have been ahead of the curve if the Sunset Commission bill would have passed five years ago when it was first proposed, but hey, now we’ve got catch-up work to do.
Let’s not waste more time – Alaska is overdue! We need a Sunset Commission badly, more now than ever, as we face serious fiscal challenges.
“Sunsets are beautiful. The beauty of the Sunset Commission is that its unbiased and practical recommendations will be incredibly helpful tools each year for both whoever is governor and whoever is in the legislature for building a fiscally responsible budget.”
When we have a $536 million deficit, when tax bills are on the docket, when proposals are circulating to cut an already cut PFD again, when cries for more funding echo in the Capitol halls and call out from our inboxes, we’re past due for a Sunset Commission. If you agree, please let legislators know.
Big thanks to Senator Yundt when he stood up on the floor to request to be added as a co-sponsor to SB 107 and to the following senators who joined him: Senators Cronk, Kaufman, Myers, and Shower. Thanks too to all of you who have submitted written testimony in support of SB 107.
