Major Accomplishments, Government Efficiency

Streamlining State Government

  • Instituted Quality Improvement Program, resulting in savings of more than $55 million; additional revenues of more than $22.5; and savings for other organizations and businesses of $92 million. Also, improved work processes to save almost 600,000 staff hours.
  • Created a Citizen Review Panel to investigate and recommend improvements in the Liquor Control Board’s Enforcement Division. Streamlined administrative and appeal processes are now being put in place.
  • Achieved Welfare Reform, with the result that caseloads dropped by 40 percent and nearly 90,000 welfare recipients are now working.
  • Adopted credit card payments by state agencies – an effective and immediate method for paying local firms doing business with the state.
  • Implemented streamlined complaint and appeal process for liquor licenses and the general public.

Instituting Savings Incentive Program to Promote Efficiency in Agency Spending while Helping to Support Public Schools

  • School construction has received a total of $143.2 million under the program.

Cutting Bureaucratic Red Tape to Improve Service

  • Ordered state agencies, beginning in 1997, to cut the amount of paperwork and red tape to help businesses thrive.
  • Repealed more than 4,600 sections of administrative rules, and amended another 2,700 sections to make them more clear, simple and fair. Eliminated 1,300 pages from the rule book.
  • Cutting regulatory red tape. Allowed state agencies to use a speedier process to adopt rules in routine cases. Expedited rule making saves agencies and the public time and money by allowing simple, non-controversial rules to be adopted quickly. (01-03)

Protecting Our Privacy

  • Vetoed legislation that would have weakened Washington’s privacy protections for motor vehicle-related information held by the state, and directed Department of Licensing to adopt rules that tighten security over sensitive data, using best protections in both federal and state law.
  • Won passage of critical privacy legislation that protects a citizen’s personal financial information, i.e., credit card and bank account numbers, from disclosure by state and local government agencies.
  • Developed a privacy-sensitive state website, Access Washington, which has received the highest privacy rating possible from an independent privacy review organization. The state’s website will never contact you without your explicit permission; and the site will never share your contact information with third parties.
  • Through executive order, protected confidential personal information in state files by prohibiting the release of social security numbers and instituting other personal privacy measures.

Eliminating Unnecessary Boards and Commissions

  • Required periodic review of boards and commissions to determine if some could be consolidated or eliminated. Since 1999, the Governor has signed legislation to eliminate 49 boards and commissions.

Taking Care of Disaster Victims

  • Persuaded federal government to lend aid to help citizens hurt by winter storms. Eight Washington counties qualified for help from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Disaster Assistance program: Grays Harbor, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pierce and Thurston counties.
  • Persuaded federal government to provide SBA loans to supplement state and local recovery efforts in Ferry and Stevens counties struck by severe storms and flooding in May 1998.
  • Fought for and obtained federal financial assistance for victims of severe landslides in Kelso.

Leading the Nation in Managing Government

  • Created policies that made Washington one of four states receiving the highest grades in the nation for management of state government. Washington earned the highest ranking awarded by the Government Performance Project funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Making Washington Second to None in Digital Democracy

  • Created policies that led to Washington being named the leading state in the nation for using information technology to deliver services to citizens and improve government operations.
  • Continued to put more state government services on-line. The Digital Government Revolving Account finances requests from state agencies to put more functions on-line to offer easier access for citizens and businesses. $12.5 million Digital Government Revolving Account. (01-03)

Creating Access Washington

  • Launched Washington State’s multifaceted web site, Access Washington, in 1998 to bring citizens easy access to government information and services around the clock over the Internet.
  • Ordered the site designed so that people can find jobs online through the WORK Job Search. Businesses can file and pay taxes electronically. Homeowners can find out whether contractors making home improvements are registered and bonded. Kids can come home from school and get help with their homework at Just for Kids.

Preparing for the Millennium Bug

  • Washington State entered the new century with no disruption of vital public services.

Compensating State Workers

  • Won annual cost-of-living adjustments for state employees.

Won Civil Service Reform and Collective Bargaining for State Employees

  • Achieved major civil service reform by streamlining the state’s cumbersome job classification and personnel system, expanding collective bargaining for classified civil service employees to include compensation and work rules, and authorizing agencies and higher education institutions to contract out for services that have traditionally been performed by classified employees. (2002)

Streamlining Regulation of Businesses and Professions

  • Won passage of major legislation that establishes uniform and consistent disciplinary standards and procedures for the 25 businesses and professions regulated by the Department of Licensing. (2002)

Slowing the Brain-Drain

  • Allowed teachers and public employees in the State Retirement System Plan 1, who are eligible to retire, to retire with benefits and then return to work if offered a position. The new law will help stem the brain drain and create a valuable employee-retention tool for schools and state and local government.

Shedding New Light on Campaign Spending

  • Required timely pre-election disclosure of a growing source of campaign contributions - "independent expenditures" made 21 days or less before the election. These expenditures often escape disclosure until after the election, depriving the public of important information about who is spending large amounts of money to influence elections. (01-03)


» Return to Governor Locke’s Accomplishments
» Return to Efficient Government

Access Washington