By Wayne Niederhauser
Utah State Senator, District 9

[Editor's note: New YouTube video: SJR5 in Sixty Seconds ]

When economists measure the size and growth of government, the most common method is to measure used government’s expenditure as a percentage of the GDP. (Gross Domestic Product—or the market value of all the goods and services produced by a particular region. So you could look at a state, local or national GDP to determine the size of each respective government.) In other words, government and government entities track their progress, growth and productivity by how much money they are spending and how many people they are employing, not necessarily by what they are accomplishing.

The resulting effect of this measuring process is that government programs and entities deem themselves successful, not if they are actually producing outcome, but if they continue to receive an ever increasing level of funding.

SJR5 is an effort to attach a performance and accountability requirement to any new program or agencies created in our state, and thereby have a better, tangible tool with which to measure their effectiveness.

The bill states that any newly created program or agency, or an existing program or agency that calls for an appropriation for additional funding will be required to answer three questions:

1. What are the expected results?
2. What measures will be used to monitor the results?
3. How will the measures be gathered in an objective, reliable fashion?

Each time any program or agency that requires funding of any type, is initiated into law by the legislature, a fiscal note is attached to the bill. The fiscal note provides the dollar amount to the program or agency, so that as the legislators consider their vote, they will know the implementation cost.

SJR5 creates a similar sort of note that will be added to each bill in addition to the fiscal note that will enable legislators and the public to track the progress and efficient uses of the money put into new programs. This legislation makes available a level of accountability and transparency to the taxpayer and the Legislature that has not previously existed. SJR5 will provide the tools necessary to monitor and compare the expected results of a program or agency with the actual results.

If the program or agency does not meet the performance benchmark expectations at the first, second and third year marks, the legislation also proscribes a transparent process by which the program can be reevaluated and either eliminated or allowed to continue with alterations that will make it more efficient and productive.

Senator McAdams and I presented this concept at a Sutherland Institute forum last October.  Here’s the video.