Gov. Kaine eyes consolidation of agencies in budget proposal

Richmond (Map, News) - Gov. Tim Kaine said Thursday that he will recommend reorganizing Virginia’s state government as part of his budget proposals next month.

Kaine will lay out his spending plans for the rest of this fiscal year, which ends June 30, and for fiscal years 2009 and 2010 to the General Assembly’s budget-writing committees Dec. 17. The state is facing a $641 million revenue shortfall in this year’s budget and a shortfall of at least $50 million to $150 million next year.

“There are going to be some interest cost-saving strategies in there,” Kaine said during a call-in show on a Richmond radio station. “You’re gong to see some state agencies consolidated with others and some simplification of organizations that will affect savings long-term.”

Kaine didn’t mention any specific agencies he is targeting for mergers and his spokesman said the governor has not made any decisions yet.

Kaine is spending much of this week, including Saturday, in long meetings with his budget staff and has similar sessions scheduled next week.

The Democratic governor will likely clash with the Republican-run House of Delegates on some issues, such as his desire to use money from a reserve account to partially cover this year’s shortfall, but GOP lawmakers have long sought to streamline state government.

Del. Philip Hamilton, R-Newport News, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, has introduced several bills in previous sessions to consolidate several agencies.

Among the changes he would like to see are combining the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, which oversees saltwater fishing, with the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, which has jurisdiction over freshwater anglers. He also supports merging the Department of Commerce and Trade with the Department of Technology because “so much of our commerce is technology.”

“We would certainly be willing to consider any ideas he might have and might even offer some of our own,” Hamilton told The Examiner.

jrogalsky@dcexaminer.com

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