Performance Audits Bill Passes from Ohio House (Statements from Combs and Dovilla)

Release from State Rep. Courtney Combs:

COLUMBUS—State Representative Courtney Combs (R-Hamilton) has announced that House Bill 2, which will reduce wasteful spending and help to save tax dollars, passed from the Ohio House of Representatives unanimously by a vote of 97-0. This legislation will require the Ohio Auditor of State to conduct performance audits of at least four state agencies each biennium, beginning with the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio Department of Transportation, and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

As Vice Chair of the House State Government & Elections Committee, Rep. Combs was hands on with HB 2 and introduced an amendment, which passed unanimously through committee, to include ODOT as one of the initial agencies to be examined by way of a performance audit.

“The financial reality we face demands a constantly improving, more efficient state government,” said Combs. “By identifying and eliminating inefficiencies within state agencies like ODOT, we will be saving taxpayers money and providing better results.”

Performance audits provide a comprehensive report on the efficiency and effectiveness of a government agency or operation, offering recommendations for improvement and potential cost savings. This is achieved by comparing an agency’s performance to benchmarks set by similar operations and peer-group standards. Results of a performance audit can be used to improve the effectiveness of operations, save taxpayer dollars and make better use of existing resources.

The legislation, which was originally introduced in March 2009 of the 128^th General Assembly, was crafted in concert with former Auditor Mary Taylor and current Auditor Dave Yost. Since the beginning of 2007, the Auditor of State’s office has conducted more than 100 audits on local governments, recommending nearly $169 million in annual cost savings and translating to a potential return on investment of $24 for every dollar spent to conduct an audit.

House Bill 2 will now move to the Senate for further debate and deliberation.

Release from State Rep. Mike Dovilla:

COLUMBUS—State Representative Mike Dovilla (R-Berea) today announced that House Bill 2, which will reduce wasteful spending and help to save tax dollars, passed unanimously the Ohio House of Representatives by a vote of 97-0.  This legislation will require the Ohio Auditor of State to conduct performance audits of at least four state agencies each biennium, beginning with the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio Department of Transportation, and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

 

Dovilla offered remarks on the House floor on behalf of the State Government and Elections Committee, describing several bipartisan amendments that were accepted by that panel.  He also spoke about the bill’s significance in linking the budgets and performance of state agencies.

 

“In this time of severe budget constraints, this bill takes the critical step of requiring an objective evaluation of how efficiently and effectively agencies operate in their delivery of public services,” said Dovilla.  “The implementation of performance audits will be a powerful new tool as we work to build a smaller, smarter government that serves all Ohioans.”

 

Performance audits provide a comprehensive report on the efficiency and effectiveness of a government agency or operation, offering recommendations for improvement and potential cost savings. This is achieved by comparing an agency’s performance to benchmarks set by similar operations and peer-group standards. Results of a performance audit can be used to improve the effectiveness of operations, save taxpayer dollars and make better use of existing resources.

 

The legislation, which was originally introduced in March 2009 of the 128^th General Assembly, was crafted in concert with former Auditor Mary Taylor and current Auditor Dave Yost. Since the beginning of 2007, the Auditor of State’s office has conducted more than 100 audits on local governments, recommending nearly $169 million in annual cost savings and translating to a potential return on investment of $24 for every dollar spent to conduct an audit.

 

House Bill 2 will now move to the Senate for further debate and deliberation.