(October 12, 2009, NASHVILLE) – Representative Donna Rowland
(R-Murfreesboro) worked recently on the Fiscal Review Committee
to save the state over $10 million that it had allocated on
state contracts. Rowland said the waste is unacceptable, and
with the support of the Fiscal Review Committee, has asked the
State Comptroller to amend the contract and return the money.
“For two years now, our state budget has been dire straits, with
the legislature and the Administration asking every department
to reduce its budget,” said Representative Rowland. “This kind
of waste and spending in a time when most Tennessee families are
struggling, and we’re struggling to pass a balanced budget is
completely unacceptable.”
A general services contract for elevator service was drawn up to
provide service for 400 elevators over four years if counties,
cities, and universities joined in—but they never did, meaning
service was only provided for 170 elevators. Rowland asked the
committee to amend the contract and return the surplus of $9.5
million, and the committee agreed.
The Fiscal Review Committee is charged with
a continuing review of such items as revenue collections, budget
requests, the recommended executive budget, appropriations, work
programs, allotments, reserves, impoundments, the state debt,
and the condition of the various state funds.
Representative Rowland has been serving on the Fiscal Review
Committee since 2003, and has identified savings for the state
before. In 2004, she noticed an appropriation for a state
contract that exceeded the actual cost of the work by over
$50,000. In 2005, Rowland
pointed out $4 million in
savings on a contract made between the State of Tennessee and
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee. The contract projected a
$10 million budget for Fiscal Year 2007 on a contract regarding
Medicare Supplement Services. The same contract totaled $5
million for Fiscal Year 2006.
“These are just squandered dollars, and sloppy management of
Tennesseans’ tax dollars. The waste needs to stop, and I will
continue to work with my colleagues on the Fiscal Review
Committee to identify this waste and recognize savings for our
state,” said Representative Rowland.
Representative Rowland
serves District 34 in the Tennessee House of Representatives,
which consists of part of Rutherford County. She was elected to
the state legislature in 2000, and is a member of the House
Finance, Ways and Means Committee, the House Children and Family
Affairs Committee, and the House Conservation and Environment
Committee. She also serves as the Chair of the House Family
Justice Subcommittee and the Vice Chair of the House Environment
Subcommittee. In 2003, she was elected by her colleagues to
serve on the powerful Fiscal Review Committee.
