Perdue orders consolidations
Gov. Bev Perdue has sent lawmakers her official proposal to consolidate fourteen state agencies into eight, combining some functions and outsourcing others. The changes are expected to save hundreds of millions of dollars, at a cost of hundreds of jobs from the state payroll.
Under Executive Order 85, issued this afternoon:
— The Office of State Personnel and Office of Information Technology would move under the Dept. of Administration, creating the new Department of Management and Administration
— The Departments of Corrections, Juvenile Justice, and Crime Control and Public Safety would merge into the Department of Public Safety
— The Employment Security Commission would move under the Department of Commerce
The Order also calls for some consolidations within the Department of Health and Human Services:
– The Division of Public Health and the Office of Rural Health and Community Care would merge to become the Division of Prevention, Access and Public Health Services
– The Divisions of Vocational Rehabilitation, Services for the Blind, and Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing would merge into the Division of Blind, Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Rehabilitation Services.
– The Office of Long-Term Care Services and Supports and the Office of Housing and Homelessness would become part of the Division of Aging and Adult Services.
Executive Order 85 also consolidates and centralizes personnel and human resources, finance, planning, accounting, and public affairs. Many IT and purchasing functions are likely to be outsourced.
Perdue’s press secretary Chris Mackey says the governor hasn’t made any decisions yet about who would lead the new consolidated agencies.
The Executive Order will become law by default if legislators take no action on it before they go home at the end of the 2012 short session. But Perdue’s clearly hoping they’ll act on it sooner, so the state can start realizing the savings.
Tillis spokesman Jordan Shaw says the Speaker is reviewing the order. “It’s something we’ll look at as we move through the session, and we’re looking forward to working with the Governor and her staff on this and other issues.”
