After slashing $334 million from the state's two year budget, state senators are looking for more ways to cut costs.

One option lawmakers are considering is getting rid of the state treasurers office.

It could be left for the people to decide.

The legislature gave first round approval to a proposed constitutional amendment that would go before voters in the November general election.

If voters approve the measure, the treasurer's office would be eliminated in 2015.

The issue did have some disagreement on the floor.

State Senator Dennis Utter introduced the measure. He says getting rid of the office could save the cost of salary and benefits to the treasurer. That's at least $117,000.
He says it may even save as much as $500,000.

"We have considerable duplication in duties in the state treasurers office between the department of revenue, between the department of administrative services, it makes sense to me that we put those duties together that we do not duplicate what different agencies of state government are doing," said Senator Dennis Utter of Hastings.

Some senators say that won't save money. Senator Charlie Janssen says state agencies would have to expand to take on duties formerly done by the office.

"I've never seen anything absorbed by the government without that agency asking for more money or more personnel to run those programs and now we wont have any oversight from an elected official to look over those programs," said Senator Charlie Janssen of Fremont.

Janssen says the move wouldn't make government or the budget deficit any smaller but it could lead to less transparency.

The state treasurer's office acts as the state's banker, receiving and dispersing state money.

It also collects and distributes child-support payments, and returns unclaimed property such as uncashed payroll checks.

Sen. Utter says the office also isn't needed because it makes no policy decisions.