“Everybody knows government wastes money. The question is where is the waste?” says state Sen. Phil Fortunato. That’s why he introduced legislation that would reward state employees with a sizable bonus for finding government waste.

Senate Bill 6332, introduced in the first week of the 2018 legislative session, would re-establish the state productivity board, also referred to as the “employee involvement and recognition board.”

“In business there is an axiom that 50% of your advertising budget is wasted, the question is, which 50%.  We have that same problem with state spending.” said Fortunato, R-Auburn. “Legislators like to claim that they have saved taxpayers a couple million dollars, but state employees have the potential to save taxpayers billions in recurring costs. They see first-hand how the state implements and spends money on programs, so who better to tell us where the waste is.”

The new Productivity Board would be directed to develop an employee suggestion incentive program. Cash awards up to $10,000 for suggestions generating net savings, revenue or both could be awarded.

“Legislators come up with ways to save some money once in a while, but front-line state workers are the ones who really know where savings can be found, so we should rely on them to rein in state spending. That means the more money in bonuses, the more taxpayer savings. That is a good investment.”