Committee advances bill to publish OLA recommendation implementation rates, sends it to Ways and Means

The State Government Finance and Policy Committee on Feb. 11 advanced House File 3, a proposal from Chair Jim Nash to require the Office of the Legislative Auditor to compile and deliver to legislative committees a matrix showing how many OLA recommendations each agency has implemented.

The measure, which Nash said is aimed at reducing “waste, fraud and abuse,” was amended and then referred to the House Ways and Means Committee following a roll-call vote. The committee adopted an author’s amendment (A6) that Nash said aligns the bill with conversations he and Senate sponsors had in the other body, and a subsequent A7 amendment that adds an appropriation matching the bill’s fiscal note.

Why it matters: Nash and supporters said the matrix would give chairs and members earlier, clearer information about agency internal controls before legislators decide on funding. Nash said the tool is intended to “make waste, fraud, and abuse less possible and less rampant in our state” by surfacing agency follow-through on OLA recommendations. Legislative Auditor…