A group of Michigan House lawmakers, all Republicans, has created the Michigan DOGE Task Force with the intent of streamlining government. 

The effort was launched by state Rep. James DeSana, R-Carleton. He and the other Michigan DOGE Task Force members met for the first time on Wednesday and hosted a press conference on Thursday in Lansing to introduce the effort. 

The committee took inspiration from the White House's Department of Government Efficiency task force, known as DOGE. But more specifically, DeSana said, they are looking at the State of Ohio House DOGE Caucus as an example of how to apply the concept at the state level. 

"Michiganders deserve a government that works for them, not against them," DeSana said. "The DOGE Task Force will shine a light on what's broken, cut through the bureaucracy, and push for real reforms that put the people of Michigan first." 

One of the areas that DeSana said they want to look at is how to handle a continued decline in the number of K-12 students. The birth rate in the U.S. started to decline in 2008 and 2009, with that age bracket now in high school. As families continued to have fewer children, he said, the impact will certainly be noticed in the coming years with fewer children attending school. 

Public schools in Michigan rely heavily on the state budget, where money is allocated to districts based on student enrollment. 

Other potential areas to look at include whether individuals receiving Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are truly in need of help. Both programs fall under the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services administration. 

Rep. Gina Johnsen, R-Portland, said the task force wants to continue helping Michigan's neediest residents. But, she said, taxpayer resources can better be directed to veterans, the disabled, and those who cannot provide for themselves when those who can financially provide for themselves are doing so.

DeSana said another area to consider is building and facility usage for state government. He said if the state pays rent only for the building space it needs, costs can go down.

The task force members said they believe savings found among state government spending could result in lower state taxes. 

Although the current members are Republicans, DeSana said they hope for bipartisan support in the legislature along with cooperation from the governor's office and department heads. The task force, by itself, can only make recommendations.

"There has to be buy-in on what we do," he said.

The other House members of the task force are Ann Bollin (R-Brighton), Steve Carra (R-Three Rivers), Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Township), Jaime Greene (R-Richmond), Joseph Pavlov (R-Smiths Creek), Bradley Slagh (R-Zeeland), Jason Woolford (R-Howell), Jennifer Wortz (R-Quincy), Rachelle Smit (R-Shelbyville) and Donni Steele (R-Lake Orion).