State auditor outlines audit and fiscal-note services; committee adopts rules

State Auditor Greg Griffin told an organizational committee meeting at 9 a.m. that the Department of Audits and Accounts conducts financial and performance audits, prepares fiscal notes and reviews reports produced by local government auditors, and that the committee adopted its rules by voice vote.

Griffin said the department performs multiple services for the legislature, including special examinations requested by committee chairs and preparation of fiscal notes that accompany legislation. "I am the state auditor and the department head for the Department of Audits and Accounts," Griffin said. "We do perform a variety of audits, and perform some services directly for you, the legislature."

The overview matters because those audits and fiscal notes feed into lawmakers' decisions and can affect state funding and retirement certifications, Griffin said. He told members the department also maintains a dedicated section on its website with reports and tax analyses intended for legislators. "There is a dedicated spot, if you will, on our web page, for legislators," Griffin said.

Griffin described the department's role in responding to legislative requests. "We take requests from the chairman of the appropriation committee. He, Representative Hatchett, gives us 4 or 5 requests at the end of each session that we perform special examinations for you for the beginning of the next session," Griffin said. He also identified Matt Taylor as the department official who oversees the fiscal-note process.

Committee members offered brief remarks of thanks during the presentation. Representative Cannon said he had worked with the auditor's office on bill language and praised the staff's assistance. Another member asked whether the department reviews audits from local governments; Griffin replied that the department reviews the work and reports that local auditors produce and "look at those opinions."

The committee moved and approved its rules at the organizational meeting. A member made a motion to adopt the committee rules and the motion received a second; the chair called for a voice vote and said the motion passed. The meeting record shows only a voice vote, and exact counts were not specified.

A staff member, identified as Abby Day, provided a printed copy of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (OCGA) that the group reviewed. Griffin also said he would work with the fiscal office during the off session to "review the books" and share that information with committee members.

The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn that the chair approved by voice vote.