OSCPA testifies for bill mandating performance audits of state agencies

This week, OSCPA supported legislation mandating performance audits for state agencies. Senate Bill 4 passed the Senate State and the Local Government and Veterans Affairs Committee by an 8-1 vote.

OSCPA Chair Matt Yuskewich, CPA testified in support of the proposed legislation that would require the Auditor of State to conduct performance audits of a number of large state agencies in Ohio, including the Ohio Department of Health, Environmental Protection Agency and the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. These particular agencies were identified by a bipartisan legislative Regulatory Reform Task Force as having particularly burdensome and/or bureaucratic practices in place.

Sponsored by Sen. Tim Schaffer, R-Lancaster, the bill would also require the Auditor’s office to create a specific schedule for performance audits across state agencies.

In his testimony, Yuskewich affirmed OSCPA’s support for S.B. 4 because it is in line with recommendations presented to Gov. Strickland last November from the Ohio Budget Advisory Task Force Report.

“Performance audits of the top Ohio state agencies will clearly show whether taxpayer dollars are being spent in the most fiscally responsible manner,” Yuskewich said. “Many other states already conduct such audits routinely. Ohio needs to be more proactive in this area as a first step in fixing our long-term financial problems.”

Performance auditors are a key vehicle for showing return on taxpayer investment as well as identifying waste, inefficiency or unneeded duplication of services within government organizations.

Ohio’s Auditor of State’s office has indicated that performance audits conducted to date resulted in a potential return on investment rate of $24 for every dollar spent.

The legislation now moves to the Senate floor for a vote.

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