State: Senate leader calls for ‘performance’ budget

State Senate President Therese Murray is calling for dramatic changes in the way the state determines how taxpayer money is spent. Murray told a legislative committee on Tuesday that Massachusetts is operating under “clumsy and outdated” finance laws, many of which date back to the early 20th century. The Plymouth Democrat said the current system works simply to preserve current state programs and agencies – rather than measure whether those programs and agencies are successful and worth keeping. Murray has filed legislation that would move the state toward a system of performance-based budgeting. One provision of the bill calls for creation of a “sunset” review system, in which state agencies would be periodically evaluated to determine whether they deserve continued funding.