Live Blogging the Con Hogan Award to the CT Join Appropriations Committee

Con Hogan (0.00 / 0)

Con Hogan starts off by talking about how people in government are all good at finding fault and placing blame, but rarely do people take time to give credit for a job well done.  He spoke about the difficulties of measuring results of human service programs.  In Vermont, they managed to cut infant mortality in half, teen pregnancies more than half, lead levels in children and so one.  It takes time to do this.

To the Connecticut Government, he said, you are on the cutting edge.  You are tying resources to the outcomes.  The result over time will be worth it.  You will inform us and help us take new steps in other places.  He described the program as ground breaking work in a results based appropriations process.

---

by: Aldon Hynes @ Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 16:57:26 PM UTC

Denise Merrill's comments (0.00 / 0)

Denise Merrill speaks saying, she is here on behalf of the people of Connecticut, and offers special thanks to others in the General Assembly as well as in the administration.

She describes her experience of becoming new chair of the appropriations committee and needing to introduce results based accountability as a form of self-preservation.  She comments about how, as chair of the appropriations committee, your door never closes.  There is a long line of people with wonderful ideas of how to help  people.  How do you sort through which ones to do?  She gives especial thanks to Robert Genuario, to legislative staff, and especially the Office of Fiscal Analysis. She notes that Rep. Harp couldn't make it.

She ties things together by noting that in the State of Connecticut, if you say RBA, a lot of people know what your are talking about.

---

by: Aldon Hynes @ Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 17:04:08 PM UTC

More comments from the speakers: (0.00 / 0)

Robert Genuario spoke about the importance of RBA being not only bi-partisan, but across the different branches of the government.  Gov. Rell was very interested and this encouraged people from many agencies to want to get involved.

Diana Urban noted that a big hurdle to overcome was that people were afraid to come in and talk about whether or not goals were being reached.  People were afraid of being told 'gotcha' and losing funding.  Yet as people came to learn more about RBA, it gained a lot more acceptance.

Bob Duff asked various State Legislators from Connecticut to identify themselves and a lot of people raised their hands.  I looked around and saw many people that I don't know or just barely know.

He raised an important question asking, "How many tax payers actually feel they are getting value of what the State is doing?"  By using RBA, the appropriations committee is developing a tool that will help demonstrate the value of the programs to the State.

Another key aspect of the whole process was an effort to break down some of the silos.  For example, programs to help young children are in many different agencies.  It really starts adding up when you look at all of it.  By looking at all the programs you can find where different agencies can work better and more efficiently together.

He noted that all new appropriates need to be done within an RBA framework.

---

by: Aldon Hynes @ Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 17:18:25 PM UTC