State Representative David Thomas (R-Jefferson) today announced a new piece of legislation - The Government Service Delivery Improvement Act - which works to enhance state services for Ohioans.

"Some of the best ideas we get in the legislature come from our constituents. State departments should similarly benefit from input from those they serve. There has to be a way to best track and gather that type of information. That is what this bill seeks to do," said Representative Thomas.

House Bill 834 will work to do the following:

• Designate a new leadership role at the Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS) to synchronize state agencies and state programs.
• Charge DAS with creating a tracking system to measure agency success
• Require that the Director of DAS provide annual reporting to the Governor and the State Legislature 90 days before the new legislative session begins
  

This proposed bill is modeled after similar legislation from five other states, including Utah, Missouri, New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania.

Representative David Thomas shared, "Other states have already proven successfully that this concept works, and even the federal government has attempted to tackle customer response using this model. I think it is only fitting that Ohio leads the nation in becoming the first state to put this into law instead of an executive order."

House Bill 834 awaits a committee assignment.