MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A series of public hearings on efforts to improve Alabama state government efficiency are expected to be held sometime in April, House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, shared with Alabama Daily News.
While still in the early planning stages, Ledbetter said that the Alabama Committee on the Evaluation of Services, a state-established body created in 2019 to assess and make recommendations as to the effectiveness of public services, will reveal its progress made over the past several years.
“We’ve had a group for (a few) years that has been working on different agencies, making sure the money is spent the way it’s supposed to be; we’ve been doing the DOGE committee before it was popular,” Ledbetter said, referring to President Donald Trump administration’s newly created Department of Government Efficiency.
“…I will say that you’ll be impressed with what they’ve done because I’ve met with them a couple times and they show us what they’re doing. It’s pretty impressive, so I’m looking forward to getting it out in the public.”
Alabama House Speaker @RepLedbetter reveals public hearings are planned in the coming weeks to reveal the progress of the state’s efforts to improve government efficiency, comparing it favorably to President @realDonaldTrump’s DOGE initiative.#ALPolitics pic.twitter.com/xUKJbNKI2d
— Alexander Willis (@ReporterWillis) February 20, 2025
Comprised of 14 members, ACES is chaired by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, who in a recent op-ed championed some of the entity’s successes, such as identifying inefficiencies with the delivery of correctional education, as well as shortcomings of a state-funded program for K-12 students.
The commission has also published a number of in-depth studies on the effectiveness of various state agencies and programs, including a benefit-cost analysis for programs that impact crime, an evaluation on the effectiveness of scholarships and forgivable loans, and an accountability report on the state’s Helping Families Initiative, designed to address chronic absenteeism and behavior among students.
Marcus Morgan is the director of ACES, and told ADN Thursday that the entity evaluates state agencies and programs using four pillars; effectiveness, efficiency, collaboration and capacity, and that in the upcoming public hearing, would likely share some of ACES’ successes over the years in making recommendations that were received favorably by either the governor or the State Legislature.
“We look at the intent of a program or service and determine if it is working for the population it was designed for and at what cost,” Morgan told ADN.
Speaking outside the House chamber at the Alabama State House in Montgomery, Ledbetter said he was looking forward to the public hearings given that the work of ACES has largely flown under the radar.
“I think it’s partly our fault, we hadn’t told people what we’ve been doing or what they’ve been doing,” he said. “…I think it’s important, and I think it follows along with what President Trump’s doing with DODGE. We’ve been doing it for a while, but we just need to bring it out and let people see what’s going on.”
Dates for the public hearings have yet to be scheduled, though are expected to take place in the coming weeks, Ledbetter said.
“We certainly aren’t the federal government and have a fraction of the waste and inefficiencies,” Orr told ADN. “However, we can always do better to make Alabama’s government better and lower cost for its people.”
The COVID-19 pandemic did slow the commission’s work a little, he said, but it’s getting on track.
“… But having accurate data created by the agencies from which we can assess outputs has been a challenge,” Orr said. “But getting agencies to be more data-conscious will have long-term positive impacts on state government. You can’t accurately evaluate, what you can’t accurately measure.”