Commission to Effect Government Reorganization records

After the state realized only about $30 million from implementing recommendations of the Thomas Commission, the General Assembly created what was originally called the "Thomas Commission II." This new Commission was to study ways to reorganize state government into fewer cabinet level agencies. The legislature wanted the new Commission to have its committee chairmen as members to "have advocates and not detractors" when the results came in. It would also emphasize implementation rather than investigation so that it would provide a plan instead of a recommendation. The result was The Commission to Reorganize State Government, chaired by retired Connecticut Supreme Court Justice T. Clark Hull and State Senator Joseph Harper. It had eight members consisting of legislators, gubernatorial appoints and a member of the Connecticut State Employees Association.

One of the more controversial suggestions the Commission considered was eliminating the Comptroller's Office. Other recommendations included streamlining the state human services system by reducing the existing eleven agencies into four: the Department of Developmental and Rehabilitative Services, Department of Public Health and Addictive Services, Department of Children and Families, and the Department of Social Services. It also recommended appointment of a Commissioner of Higher Education/Board of Governors to oversee the current Department of Higher Education and establish a new Constituents Coordinating Council to identify and implement administrative saving in the system. The University of Connecticut and all its departments would maintain its current structure. A newly formed Connecticut State University and College System would consolidate all existing state colleges out side of UConn into four universities (Western, Eastern, Southern and Central) and five regional college campuses to administer the community, technical and two-year programs. The remainder of the report focused on recommended changes to improve service and state oversight of service provider networks, substance abuse, information technology, job creation and training, state agency finance, budget and purchasing practices. The Commission also studied the feasibility of merging the Departments of Environmental Protection and Agriculture and recommended against it. Finally, the Commission encouraged greater regionalization of state-wide services to promote standardization, adoption of total quality management principals in all state organizations, performance measures for state services, and personnel and merit reforms to allow greater flexibility and responsiveness.