MADISON, Wis. — A committee of state lawmakers tasked with mirroring federal efforts to cut back on waste and inefficiency in government focused in on remote work policies on Tuesday at its first meeting.
Republicans who control the Assembly Committee on Government Oversight, Accountability, and Transparency, or GOAT, grilled state agencies over how they hold employees accountable when they aren’t working from state office buildings.
“The people who pay the salaries of the state employees want to know that there’s more accountability than just move your mouse every couple minutes,” Republican Rep. Amanda Nedweski, who chairs GOAT, said.
The committee is Wisconsin’s version of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a Trump administration initiative led by billionaire Elon Musk. DOGE claims to have saved the federal governmentmore than $100 billion with the cuts it has made over the past roughly two months.
Watch: Wisconsin's version of DOGE kicks off with a review of remote work
Leaders of state agencies defended their remote work policies in testimony on Tuesday and claimed that offering remote work has made them more competitive with the public sector, expanded their reach across the state, and decreased the need for costly office spaces.
“At the state, we can’t really compete with the wages and the beautiful offices of the private sector,” Kathy Blumenfeld, who leads the Department of Administration, said. “But this is a [way] that we can still serve our communities and have excellent service while offering flexibility in certain jobs.”
Lawmakers also heard from University of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman and leaders from the Department of Public Instruction and Department of Health Services.
The GOAT committee has little power to make changes in state government on its own. Any proposals it makes would have to be approved by the full Republican-controlled Legislature and then signed into law by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
