State Senator Patty Ritchie has been named to a bipartisan legislative panel investigating waste and inefficiency in New York State government.

The panel is called the Senate Task Force on Government Efficiency.

“Making government operate more efficiently means lower costs for overburdened state taxpayers, a better economic climate for our state, and an invitation for businesses to create new jobs,” Ritchie said.

Since taking office last January, Ritchie has participated in cutting the cost of state government, including:

· voting to enact the first state budget in 15 years that spent less than the previous year

· supporting creation of Gov Cuomo’s Spending and Government Efficiency (SAGE) Commission, which is looking at mergers and consolidations of redundant state agencies and authorities

· sponsoring and passing new laws to cut bureaucracy and make state agencies more efficient

· creating a “mandate relief working group,” comprising leaders from Central and Northern New York, to identify Albany-imposed wasteful rules that add to local taxpayers’ costs.

The new task force will be co-chaired by Republican Senator Tom O’Mara of Western New York, and Democrat Sen. Jeffrey Klein, of The Bronx.

Other members of the Task Force include other North County Sens. Joe Griffo and Betty Little, along with David Valesky, David Carlucci, Jack Martins and Diane Savino.