§ 970. Government Accountability Committee

(a) There is created the joint legislative Government Accountability Committee. The Committee shall recommend mechanisms for State government to be more forward-thinking, strategic, and responsive to the long-term needs of Vermonters. In pursuit of this goal, the Committee shall:

(1) Propose areas for the review of statutory mandates for public services that may result in service duplication and to review the alignment of financial and staff resources required to carry out those mandates.

(2) Review the legislative process for the creation and elimination of programs and make recommendations for enhancements to the process that support greater long-range planning and responsiveness to the needs of Vermonters.

(3) Recommend strategies and tools that permit all branches of State government to prioritize the investment of federal, State, and local resources in programs that respond to the needs of the citizens of Vermont in a collaborative, cost-effective, and efficient manner. Pursuant to those strategies and tools, functions that are not critical to an agency or department mission may be recommended for combination or elimination, while other functions may be optimized.

(4) [Repealed.]

(5) Determine that data-based program-level performance measures that demonstrate program results have been adopted for the programs in each agency and department.

(6) Determine whether each agency and department is taking actions to achieve the population-level outcomes set forth in 3 V.S.A. § 2311 that are relevant to that agency or department, as shown by the manner in which the agency's or department's program-level performance measures inform population-level indicators.

(7) Ensure that the report set forth in 3 V.S.A. § 2311 regarding population-level outcomes and indicators and each agency's or department's program-level performance measures are transparent and readily accessible to the public via electronic publication.

(8) Assess the effectiveness of population-level indicators in measuring progress in achieving population-level outcomes, and annually review population-level indicators in the context of new data development.

(9) Approve the addition, amendment, or elimination of population-level indicators in accordance with 3 V.S.A. § 2311(c).

(10) [Repealed.]

(11) Assess whether and how the State of Vermont should provide funds to nonprofit organizations, including whether grants to or contracts with nonprofit organizations should require results-based accountability.

(b)(1) The membership of the Committee shall be appointed each biennial session of the General Assembly. The Committee shall comprise eight members:

(A) four members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House who shall not all be from the same party and at least one of whom shall be from the Committee on Government Operations; and

(B) four members of the Senate appointed by the Committee on Committees who shall not all be from the same party and at least one of whom shall be from the Committee on Government Operations.

(2) The Chief Performance Officer shall serve as a nonvoting liaison to the Committee.

(c) The Committee shall elect two co-chairs from among its members and shall adopt rules of procedure. The Co-Chairs shall be a House and a Senate member. The Committee shall keep minutes of its meetings and maintain a file thereof. A quorum shall consist of five members.

(d) During the legislative session, the Committee shall meet at the call of the Co-Chairs. When the General Assembly is not in session, the Committee may meet monthly at the call of the Co-Chairs and may meet more often, subject to the approval of the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

(e) For attendance at a meeting when the General Assembly is not in session, legislative members of the Committee shall be entitled to compensation for services and reimbursement of expenses as provided under section 406 of this title.

(f) The staff services of the Joint Fiscal Office and the Office of the Legislative Council shall be available to the Committee.

(g) At least annually, by January 15, the Committee shall report its activities, together with recommendations, if any, to the General Assembly. The report shall be in brief summary form.

(h) [Repealed.]  (Added 2009, No. 146 (Adj. Sess.), § H2; amended 2009, No. 153 (Adj. Sess.), § 21d; 2013, No. 28, § 1, eff. May 13, 2013; 2013, No. 28, § 2, eff. Jan. 16, 2014; 2013, No. 142 (Adj. Sess.), § 4; 2015, No. 124 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. May 23, 2016; 2017, No. 6, § 1, eff. March 29, 2017.)