Governor Scott Walker’s Commission on Waste, Fraud and Abuse has a tall order – finding $300 million in savings for state taxpayers. Walker introduced the seven member panel at the Capitol on Tuesday, and said their mission is bipartisan. “Who can be against finding true examples of waste fraud and abuse, and acting on it? It’s not a Republican or a Democrat idea, it’s one that I think the public is calling each of us to be focused in on.”
With that in mind, Walker has appointed four lawmakers – a Democrat and a Republican from each chamber – to the panel (PDF), along with a veteran state employee and two members from the private sector. One of those is the commission’s chair, Craig Rakowski, who was asked about Walker’s stated goal of finding 300 million dollars worth of waste, fraud and abuse annually. “It’s a big task,” said Rakowski. “But you know, we have to try.” The commission is charged with preparing a preliminary report for the governor by July.