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Lawmakers press budget office on grant oversight after Auditor General’s DCNR audit
Summary
Lawmakers pressed Secretary Ori Munson on March 25 over grant oversight and an Auditor General performance audit that found DCNR deviated from policies when awarding some grants.
Members of the Appropriations Committee on Feb. 25 pressed the budget secretary about transparency and oversight of state grant programs after members cited an Auditor General performance audit critical of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) grant award process.
Why it matters: Lawmakers said fast awarding of discretionary grants and the proliferation of new grant programs raise transparency and accountability concerns, especially given constrained state fiscal outlooks and competing priorities such as agricultural disease response.
Representative Flood referenced the Auditor General's Feb. 13 performance audit of DCNR and asked whether the secretary had reviewed the findings. Munson said he had not yet reviewed that specific report because he was focused on budget hearings but that he reviews audit reports for agencies under the governor's jurisdiction and would follow up with the Auditor General and agency leadership.
Munson described the budget office and executive branch audit ecosystem: internal audits done by the governor's office, the Office of State Inspector General, the Auditor General's authority, and independent annual auditors. He said that where the legislature prefers additional statutory guardrails, that can be pursued by lawmakers through fiscal code or legislation.
Representative Flood also raised concerns about an agricultural innovation development program that awarded its initial $10 million quickly and now seeks an additional $15 million; Munson said the awards followed statutory requirements and scoring processes and noted his office views timely grant execution as positive when it puts money to work.
Committee members asked whether the administration reviews agency grant programs before releasing funds; Munson said payments undergo legal and process reviews and that the governor's office reviews releases before routing payments to the Treasurer.
