Bye, bye, Orthodontics and Prosthetics Advisory Committee

Who says lawmakers in Olympia couldn’t find the gumption to slice some fat from the $30 billion two-year state budget this year?

This week the House of Representatives voted to eliminate or consolidate 46 advisory groups and save a half-million dollars a year.

How will we get along without the Migratory Waterfowl Art Committee, the Special License Plate Review Board, the Western States School Bus Advisory Commission? The State Board on Geographic Names too will fade into history.

In December, Gov. Chris Gregoire was more ambitious. She signed an executive order eliminating 17 boards and commissions and vowed to draft legislation to do away with nearly 80 more.

Kathie Durbin