Legislative panel will look for state waste

A legislative panel has given final approval to a plan to set up a commission that will weed out unnecessary state programs. Republican Representative Chuck Gipp of Decorah says the panel’s assignment will be to reduce state spending by two-percent. He says he’s been frustrated for 12 years over duplication of programs and a demand by constituents that state government do things that isn’t really its job. Gipp says the commission will include three non-voting members who represent branches of state government, and five voting members chosen by legislative leaders. House Democrat Leader Richard Myers of Iowa City will get to appoint one of those voting members of the program-elimination commission.Myers says he hopes in getting rid of programs they don’t “create two more” because it can be hard to streamline things. Senate Republican Leader Stuart Iverson of Dows also will get to choose a member of the panel. While Iverson hopes the commission brings some good ideas to the legislature, he says it’s not the first time this has been done.One effort several years ago was called the Fisher Commission, and though some of the changes took years to make, many of its recommendations were implemented.