Legislative Audit Committee approves LLA’s 2025-26 budget request; staffing and ombudsman funding highlighted

The Legislative Audit Committee voted to approve the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s budget request for fiscal 2025-26 after the auditor presented the agency’s funding plan and members discussed staffing and program priorities.

Mike Waguespack, the legislative auditor, briefed members that the office plans a flat state general fund request of $15,295,000 and to draw approximately $1,125,000 from its fund balance to cover anticipated increases in expenses. “We’re going to ask for the state general fund portion to remain the same as last year’s request,” Waguespack said. He cited an increased personnel-services total (about $37 million across the agency compared with roughly $34 million last year) and said the office has budgeted for roughly 262 positions while carrying about 21.5 vacancies at the time of the meeting.

Waguespack described program-by-program changes: allocated audit costs to state agencies (~$17,742,000), anticipated self-generated engagement billings (~$1,500,000), and recovery work with FEMA and CPRA (~$5,400,000). He also said the agency has been building an internal actuarial team, reducing reliance on out-of-state third-party actuaries, and plans a technology refresh financed through a five-year interest-free arrangement with a vendor.

Members praised the office’s emphasis on professional development and local-government outreach. Representative Jason Hughes stressed the importance of staff training: “I just want to stress that I feel professional development is so important.” Multiple legislators lauded the child-ombudsman line item and Judge Ritchie’s work; Waguespack said the office is “slowly building out that team to make sure we’re the right folks.”

The committee approved the proposed budget on a motion by Senator Luno; the transcript records a voice vote with no roll call and the motion passed.

Other business included the auditor’s description of an informal partnership to support the governor’s fiscal-responsibility task force (referred to in the meeting as Ladoga/Ladosha), where the auditor’s data and performance-audit staff will help update dormant reports and identify efficiency opportunities. Waguespack identified Chris McGee as the agency’s data analytics manager coordinating that work.

Ending

With the committee’s approval, the Legislative Auditor’s office will forward the budget recommendation through the next steps in the state’s budget process, and staff said they will continue outreach to reduce delinquency in local audit filings and to build internal capacity on actuarial and data analytics work.