• Created in 1962, the Little Hoover Commission is a bipartisan, independent body that promotes efficiency, effectiveness and economy in state programs.
  
  

• The 13 members come to the Commission from all walks of life and from diverse appointing authorities. (Please see Appendix A for biographies of current members. As this report is being printed, the Commission has three vacancies.) Five are appointed by the governor, two by the Speaker of the Assembly and two by the Senate Rules Committee. Rounding out the membership are two sitting Senators and two sitting Assembly members. By statute, no more than five of the nine public members may be from the same political party and legislators from each body must be from different parties.
  
  

• The Commission's role differs in three distinct ways from other bodies that analyze state programs:
  
  

  • Unlike fiscal or performance audits, the Commission's studies look beyond whether programs comply with laws, instead exploring how programs could and should function in today's world.
    
    

  • The Commission produces in-depth, well-documented reports that serve as a factual basis for crafting effective reform legislation.
    
    

  • Based on its reports, the Commission follows through with legislation to implement its recommendations, building coalitions, testifying at hearings and providing technical support to policy makers.

  
  

• In addition, the Commission is responsible for general oversight of the State Auditor, providing a home for this important function that is outside both the Executive and Legislative branches of government.