Taking a page from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, (DOGE), the Kansas Senate has created the “Committee on Government Efficiency,” or “COGE.”
According to a release from Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, (R-El Dorado), the committee has launched the Government Efficiency Portal on the Kansas Legislature website.
The portal includes a simple form that can be accessed at https://kslegislature.gov/li/kansascoge/. Alternatively, residents may email suggestions to kansascoge@senate.ks.gov.
“One of the reasons we created COGE was to receive ideas directly from Kansans on how government can operate more efficiently and effectively,” Masterson said in the release. This easy-to-access portal allows the public to submit ideas that the committee can then study and potentially turn into legislation.”
The action mirrors similar moves in other states.
The Missouri senate recently created its own DOGE portal as well.
Committee Chair Mary Elizabeth Coleman encourages residents to use the portal to spotlight inefficiencies and ensure that taxpayer dollars are used wisely, Newstalk KZRG reported.
The committee, also being called the Missouri DOGE, will review submissions and incorporate public input into its efforts.
Senator Renee Erickson, chair of COGE, echoed that and encouraged Kansans to send in their ideas.
“Our committee is eager to receive ideas from the people on how to ensure government is truly on their side,” Erickson, (R-Newton), said. “The best ideas often come from citizens, not politicians, so I invite the public to submit their suggestions and not be shy. We look forward to reviewing that input in the weeks ahead.”
Musk’s DOGE has been moving quickly
The federal version of DOGE has been moving fast since the inauguration, effectively shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), taking aim at the United States Department of Education among other actions.
The Wall Street Journal reports that DOGE aides have searched medicare agency payment systems for fraud.
“Representatives of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have been working at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where they have gotten access to key payment and contracting systems, according to people familiar with the matter,” the WSJ reported.
Patrick Richardson – The Sentinel
Patrick Richardson has been a working journalist since 1992 at community papers across Kansas and for the last 10 as an editor for papers in Southeast Kansas, Northeast Oklahoma, and Southwest Missouri. As a freelancer, he has also broken major stories for national outlets like PJ Media and The Daily Caller. Richardson was born in Wichita and raised in Southwest Kansas and currently lives in extreme SE Kansas, with his wife, two Great Danes, English Bulldog and 10 grandchildren.
