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Mission

    The Commonwealth Competition Council is an independent Council within Virginia's state government. The 15-person Council was created by the General Assembly as a part of the Virginia Government Competition Act of 1995 and is an outgrowth of recommendations of Governor George Allen's Commission on Government Reform. Finding better and less costly ways to provide government services for Virginia's citizens is a principal goal of state government. Efforts are focused on reducing the size and scope of government activity, especially in areas where the services or products of government can best be provided by private sector organizations.

While the Council will recommend to the Governor and General Assembly alternative ways of providing traditional government services, former Chairman Otis L. Brown explains, "State government's ability to protect the health, safety and welfare of its citizens will not be diminished by any of the Council's recommendations." He further emphasized that the Council "will suggest ways of minimizing any adverse impact of privatization upon state employees."

During 1996 the Council held four public hearings devoted to the following questions, and the public was invited to offer its comments to the Council on:

    (1) What program, service, or initiative of state government should be better handled by the private sector? Why?
    (2) Is there a program, service or initiative state government is doing that could be done by the private sector: (a) in a more efficient manner (b) at less cost to the taxpayer (c) that would improve the quality of service (d) or all, or a combination, of the above?
    (3) If so, what is it? For those services that must be provided by state government, what is your suggestion on how to make state government more internally efficient and effective?
    (4) What issues do you see concerning state government competition with the private sector?

The 1996 public hearings were held in Richmond, Norfolk, Roanoke, and Fairfax. Even though those public hearings have passed, you are still invited to give your comments to the Council at any time on the above.