The average Coloradan, if asked about it, might correctly presume that the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) plays some key part in budget work at the Statehouse. But in addition to its traditional budget-writing work, the JBC these days is also assuming a larger role in safeguarding tax dollars and reforming state government, bringing a higher level of transparency and accountability to how it operates.

We are naturally proud of our work to create a reasonable and balanced budget, on time, that won nearly-unanimous senate approval, but it’s the JBC’s watchdog and management functions that we want to spotlight here.

The JBC is perfectly suited for this vital work. It is able to meet year-round, and unlike most committees this session, has equal representation of three Democrats and three Republicans – making it as “bipartisan” as it gets. Building the annual budget requires far more time than the 120-day legislative session allows, so the budget committee begins two months prior to the normal session.

Rather than simply rubber-stamping funding requests, this JBC has been proactive to address management problems. We’re not just talking about blowing the whistle on government waste, but about making structural changes that improve transparency, accountability, and efficiency.

We took on government reform in bipartisan fashion, demonstrating that all members recognized a need to be better stewards of our limited resources.

We introduced legislation to expand protections for adults with disabilities, by better reporting of mistreatment to law enforcement. We introduced a bill to allow the new Joint Technology Committee to examine and prioritize hundreds of millions of dollars in information technology (IT) budget requests and spending.

The state auditor’s office has done a great job to identify waste and mismanagement, but it never hurts to have an extra set of eyes on government programs. That’s something the bipartisan JBC is uniquely qualified to do. After uncovering potential mismanagement and improprieties inside the Division of Youth Corrections, as well as the state prison system, JBC members asked the State Auditor’s Office to further investigate those organizations.

After learning that Medicaid administrators in the Department of Healthcare Policy & Financing had no useful methodologies to determine legitimate payment rates for providers of Medicaid patients, we started a rate review process for Medicaid, which will include relevant stakeholders throughout the process. This is a great step forward to stop the exit of providers who can no longer afford to accept Medicaid patients. We also increased funding to providers this year by more than requested by the Governor.

Three JBC-initiated bills resulted in the restructuring of government organizations. After eight years of study, one bill created an Office of the Respondent Parent Counsel within the judiciary branch. Another moved the troubled Vocational Rehabilitation Division from the Department of Human Services to the Department of Labor and Employment, while simultaneously merging local offices for better efficiency and better community access for people with developmental disabilities. A third bill established a fortified Office of the State Architect, which will be responsible for better long-range stewardship of thousands of state buildings.

One of the biggest new challenges to the annual budget is to correctly channel new marijuana revenues to related regulation, enforcement, and treatment programs. On a bipartisan basis, the JBC recommended a new ballot referendum to assure that the state can retain tens of millions of dollars as the voters intended under Proposition AA. In this unique and controversial new role for state government, JBC members are literally creating new models to lead the nation.

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Senator Kent Lambert is a Republican representing Senate District 9 and the current chairman of the JBC.

Sen. Kent Lambert