ST. PAUL, MN – The Minnesota House today passed Rep. Duane Quam’s (R-Byron) Strategic Allocation and Value Initiative (SAVI) bill, a measure aimed at reducing government waste and incentivizing cost-saving innovations within state agencies.
Quam’s legislation would allow state agencies to retain a portion of unspent funds resulting from efficiency measures, ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent more effectively. The proposal builds on the success of Quam’s original SAVI bill, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in 2011 but was later abandoned under DFL control after no action was taken as the bill began to sunset.
“In 2011, SAVI empowered state workers to identify waste and save taxpayers millions, and it worked,” said Quam. “Unfortunately, the program was allowed to sunset, and the reckless spending spree of the last biennium has put Minnesota on the path to a $5.1 billion deficit. SAVI could have prevented this financial mess by ensuring surplus dollars weren’t wasted on fraud, abuse, and unnecessary bureaucracy.”
Under the bill, state agencies would be able to reinvest cost savings into projects that enhance efficiency, with oversight from a peer review panel and approval from the Legislature.
“If we want a responsibly managed budget, we must incentivize savings instead of rewarding inefficiency,” Quam added. “Minnesotans deserve a government that works smarter, not just bigger.”
In a refreshing show of bipartisanship, and very similar to how his original bill passed 14 years ago, every member voted to pass this bill 133-0.
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