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Building
Efficient, Effective Government
Lt. Governor Becky Skillman believes that all
Hoosiers deserve a government that lives within its means and
continually finds more efficient ways of serving its people. Taxpayers
deserve to have their dollars spent in a wise and responsible fashion.
Without this, they are at risk for increased taxes and unnecessary
spending.
The first order of business to achieve improved
government efficiency is a balanced budget. In 2005 under the
leadership of Governor Mitch Daniels and Lt. Governor Becky Skillman,
Indiana achieved an honestly balanced budget for the first time in
nearly 10 years. In fact, Indiana now has a solid surplus thanks to
practicing fiscal discipline and keeping spending below the state's
income.
State government has a responsibility to take
advantage of opportunities to enhance value and to get the most from
every tax dollar. Since Governor Daniels and Lt. Governor Skillman
took office, they have realized millions in savings by improving
processes and eliminating waste. For example, they renegotiated more
than 30 state contracts, producing a savings greater than $190
million. They also trimmed more than $250 million in unnecessary
spending from state government and collected more than $270 million in
back taxes owed to the state.
These savings are just some of the countless ways
the Daniels-Skillman Administration is improving the business of state
government and using every dollar to its fullest potential.
Indiana now has the means to fund vital programs
like full-day kindergarten and to increase K-12 education funding. The
Daniels-Skillman Administration also added 800 more child case workers
to protect vulnerable children. The administration was able to repay
the debt owed to K-12 schools ($300 million) and local units of
government and universities ($700 million) that had amassed in the
years preceding Governor Daniels' and Lt. Governor Skillman's
election. And today we have 278 more State Police patrolling the
highways and fighting crime.
Governor Daniels and Lt. Governor Skillman are
working toward clear objectives to keep government clean and
efficient. Under their leadership, state government has changed its
approach to spending in an effort to save Hoosier taxpayer dollars
however possible. These actions have helped the state gain a credit
rating of AA+, making the state more attractive to new businesses and
business expansions.
From dollars for education, better service for some
of the state's most vulnerable citizens and more police protection,
all Hoosiers have benefited from Mitch and Becky's unprecedented
fiscal leadership.
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