Modernize Laws Relating To Office Of State Auditor

Statutory Revision Committee.

The bill updates various statutes pertaining to the office of the state auditor (OSA).

Currently, the legislative audit committee (LAC) has the discretion to direct the state auditor to conduct a performance audit of any public highway authority; except that the LAC may not do so in any year during which the interim transportation legislation review committee (TLRC) meets. However, the TLRC is statutorily required to meet every year. Consequently, section 1 of the bill repeals the timing limitation so that such a performance audit can be requested at any time.

The executive director of the department of revenue (DOR) is currently required to account monthly to the state treasurer regarding working capital retained by DOR and to provide copies of this accounting to the governor and the state auditor. Because DOR does not retain working capital, section 2 repeals this obsolete provision. Additionally, the state treasurer must provide copies of receipts for money transmitted daily from the executive director of DOR to the state auditor, in addition to providing one copy to the executive director and retaining one copy for his or her files. Section 2 also removes the requirement to provide the state auditor these copies.

Pursuant to a statute created in 1881, holders of warrants from counties with more than $50,000 in floating indebtedness may exchange those warrants for county bonds, if the exchange is approved by election. County bonds so exchanged must be registered with OSA, and a ten-cent fee must be paid to OSA for recording each bond. Because this registration provision is obsolete, section 3 repeals the registration and recording fee requirements.

Section 4 repeals an obsolete provision relating to an audit of the estimated actual operating costs of the enhanced emissions inspections program contractor, which audit was required to be completed by the end of 2001.

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)