The Missouri Senate Government Efficiency Committee has launched a portal to gage feedback on how the state spends taxpayer money. Other goals of the new portal is to streamline state functions and improve services for Missouri families.

For example, committee chair, Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, said that lawmakers passed “sweeping reforms” to the Missouri Children’s Division to help foster kids. But she said the temporary and permanent placement problems only grew after pumping millions of dollars into the division.

“We saw no improvement! So, when you have made structural changes and you have additional allotments of taxpayer dollars to try to solve a problem and you’re not seeing those changes, well then it has to be a leadership problem,” said Coleman. “This committee is trying to say, you know what, we’re going to hold departments accountable.”

The Children’s Division requested 100 additional workers to help keep children out of the state’s care. Like many state agencies and private businesses, the division has struggled to fill those jobs.

In January 2022, there were more than 14,000 children in Missouri’s foster care system. In January 2025, the state reported 11,070.

Coleman said the committee will consider bills and hear from department heads on ways to reduce fraud, waste and abuse.

The committee is operating the portal, which is being touted as Missouri’s version of DOGE, a panel set up by President Donald Trump and run by billionaire Elon Musk.

“The committee wasn’t created for the portal, but this is one tool that the committee is using to focus our efforts, and we’ve received, since launch, over 1,000 emails of ideas from voters all across the state,” she said. “Now, some of those are more political or voicing frustration about policies that have already enacted.”