and consolidate some of the agencies of the state executive branch (such as Health & Human Services), trimming the ranks of state government workers by 2,000 to 3,000 workers with the 2004 budget. Another example of his government restructuring efforts was his plan to reduce state expenditures on legal proceedings by revamping the court system, cutting the numbers of state-employed attorneys, and refusing to increase state payments to attorneys who accepted cases of defendants too poor to afford private attorneys (Massachusetts' court-appointed attorneys were being paid some of the lowest hourly rates in the nation). Romney vetoed a funding bill for payment of attorneys representing the poor, declaring that it was more important for the state to balance its books than to pay attorneys, and that the attorneys should provide the services pro bono. The cuts in payments for representation of the indigent provoked outraged attorneys to strike. The plan to remake the court system was unsuccessful. Fee increases In addition to spending cuts, Romney and the legislature relied heavily on fee increases to help balance the budgets throughout Romney's term, more aggressively pursuing a revenue source that the legislature had already begun to draw upon to close a deep deficit during the year prior to Romney's election. The state of Massachusetts raised $500 million in new revenue during Romney's first year in office from fees, more than any other state surveyed. Romney proposed 33 new fees along with increases in 57 existing fees, resulting in higher costs for birth certificates, new car purchases, driver's learning permits, firearms permits, professional licenses, and billboards advertising, as well as for many state services. He also increased a state gasoline fee originally intended for cleanup of contamination around underground fuel storage tanks. The two cents per gallon increase made for a total effective state gasoline tax of 23.5 cents per gallon, generating about $60 million per year in additional revenue (surpluses of $40 million over the costs of the cleanup program). Opponents said many of the fees posed a hardship on those who could least afford them, such as fees for the state to provide certification of blindness and a photo identification card for the blind. The proposal also called for a $50 fee for tuberculosis tests and a $400 fee for those who tested positive (the tuberculosis fees were rejected by the legislature). Critics, including some conservatives, complained that Romney was using