April 20, 2011

Paul Francis – Co-Chair of the Spending and Government Efficiency Commission

Antonio M. Perez – Co-Chair of the Spending and Government Efficiency Commission
The Executive Chamber
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Dear Co-Chairs Francis and Perez,

Congratulations on your formal appointments to head Governor Cuomo's Spending and Government
Efficiency Commission.
You, and your fellow SAGE Commission members, have been given the very serious responsibility of
creating long-needed structural changes in order to rightsize New York's state government.
We, as members of the Independent Democratic Conference, have the utmost confidence that you and
the other members of this commission are up to this critically important task.
Since the IDC's formation, we have developed and put forward our own proposals to create lasting
efficiencies and tame a state bureaucracy that has grown beyond our collective means.
Overall, our proposals would save more than $1.1 billion in recurring savings over the next decade. Of
that, specific recommendations that would result in at least $500 million in savings fall within the
SAGE Commission's parameters.
These include:
• Cracking down on overtime abuse by giving the Division of the Budget final approval over all
overtime spending; creating new rules regarding the use of state assets; enacting tougher
standards regarding state contracts; and consolidating duplicative functions within state
agencies. These measures will help eliminate at least $313 million in wasteful spending in
five state agencies alone.
• Revamping a little known division of the Office of General Services and empowering it to
create risk management plans for state agencies. This step would decrease the state's liabilities,
cut down on claims against New York, and save an estimated $150 million a year.
• Consolidating New York's Patchwork Inspector General System. This is estimated to save $37
million in recurring savings.
Full copies of our reports on these issues are enclosed. We ask that you review these recommendations
and consider incorporating them in your restructuring proposal. If you have any questions, please do
not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,

Jeffrey D. Klein Diane Savino

Senator, 34th District Senator, 23rd District

David Carlucci David J. Valesky

Senator, 38th District Senator, 49th District
CC: Members of the Spending and Government Efficiency Commission

Michael Balboni
Neil Cole
Jim Corcoran
Cheryl Cohen Effron
Cheryl A. Felice
Alan Gerry
Barry M. Gosin
Denis M. Hughes
Derek Q. Johnson
Simone Levinson
Anthony E. Malkin
Lillian Rodríguez López
Kevin P. Ryan
Jonathan Sandelman
Robert Samson
Peter J. Solomon
Andrew J. Spano
Max Stier,
Robert Zimmerman
Senator Greg Ball
Senator Liz Krueger
Assemblywoman Jane Corwin

Enclosures: Recommendations to the SAGE Commission and the Office of the Governor based on the
Findings from the Senate Task Force on Government Efficiency, IDC, January 2011

Examining Spending at the Office of Children and Family Services, IDC, January 2011

Streamlining New York's Patchwork IG System, IDC, March 2011

Expansion of New York State’s Risk Assessment and Management Activities, IDC, March 2011