3 Things Legislative Evaluators and Auditors Want You to Know.

AuthorErickson, Brenda
PositionWHAT STAFF KNOW - Column

What do legislative auditors and evaluators do?

The short answer is that it varies. Across the country, our offices differ greatly in size, organization and responsibilities. Some have hundreds of staff; others have fewer than 10. Our work includes performance audits, program evaluations, policy analysis, sunset reviews, technology reviews, financial compliance audits, cost-benefit analyses and special projects.

Here's a closer look.

We take a behind-the-scenes look.

State legislatures set public policy, make laws, establish state budgets, raise revenue and oversee government operations, among other essential tasks.

To do all that effectively, lawmakers need information to help them make decisions--information that tells them whether, and in what ways, programs are necessary, working well or poorly, and why or why not.

Our offices were created to help the legislature carry out its oversight responsibilities. We research, audit, evaluate, analyze and review so we can provide valuable, unbiased, credible information to legislators.

"Our goal is to provide legislators with the information they need to hold agencies accountable for the use of public resources," Greg Fugate, audit manager with the Colorado Office of the State Auditor, says.

Think of us as "question askers" for legislatures, because to conduct our work, we have to ask a seemingly endless list of questions about government programs:

* What's the purpose or public need?

* Why is it important?

* Is the purpose or need being met? If not, why not?

* Can the need be met more effectively? More efficiently? How?

We also might be asked to evaluate third-party information made available to legislators, raising questions such as:

* What relevant information is missing?

* What evidence supports the conclusions presented?

* What is the source of the information?

"During my 25 years of service to the Michigan Legislature, I have been fortunate to witness our audit efforts result in positive change for critical programs such as protective services for vulnerable adults and children, child care and early childhood education," Melinda Hamilton, a division administrator with the state's Office of the Auditor General, says.

We're independent by nature.

Although our work informs the legislative process, we must be separate from the process. We need independence to conduct our audits and evaluations free from influence--even the perception of influence.

We execute our audits and evaluations according...

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