Columbus - State Senator Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster) today introduced Senate Bill 4, which requires the Auditor of State to conduct performance audits of state agencies.  Auditor of State Dave Yost pledged his full support for the bill.  Senate Bill 4 will be one of the Senate’s priority bills for this session.
 
“Performance audits will help create a roadmap of savings of state resources so we know what to cut and where to economize,” Schaffer said.  “The recommendations of these audits will help make Ohio more attractive for employers.”
 
“Performance audits of all of our state agencies will ensure best practices, streamlined services, and increased customer support—all of which will improve the jobs and business climate in Ohio,” Schaffer said.  
 
Senate Bill 4 promotes government efficiency and accountability by requiring the Auditor of State to conduct performance audits of certain state agencies, boards and commissions each biennium.  Performance audits measure an agency’s actual performance against its goals and objectives to help identify any waste, inefficiency or duplication of services.      
 
“I commend Senator Schaffer for his ongoing leadership with this piece of legislation and, specifically, his efforts last year in spearheading similar legislation that passed the Senate,” said Auditor Yost. “Performance audits provide us with an objective tool to measure productivity and ensure efficiency in this struggling economy.  Moreover, opening up bureaucracy to more in-depth scrutiny can only increase the public trust in government.”
 
The bill also includes a funding component by establishing the Leverage for Efficiency, Accountability and Performance Fund (L.E.A.P. Fund).  The L.E.A.P. Fund will make available $1.5 million to advance costs of a performance audit to state agencies and local governments that might otherwise not be able to afford to have one conducted.  Costs will be repaid the following year from the savings reaped from the audit’s recommendations and sown again into new performance audits.
 
“The L.E.A.P. Fund is essential to the success of Senate Bill 4,” said Yost.  “These dollars will allow entities most in need of efficiency the opportunity to be audited and provide the additional incentive for the agency or government to actually implement the findings and recommendations.”