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Legislative auditors present summaries showing program reviews, $300M in estimated benefits
Summary
Legislative Auditor Dan Crossman briefed the joint Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means committee on the audit division's recent work, describing the office's follow-up process and saying audits identified more than $300 million in measurable benefits over the last biennium.
Legislative Auditor Dan Crossman told a joint Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means committee on Oct. 12, 2025, that the Legislative Audit Division has published summaries of its performance audits covering 2023'24 and is tracking implementation of recommendations through a statutorily required follow-up process.
The summaries, Crossman said, list 14 recently released reports and identify "more than $300,000,000" in realized financial benefits over the past biennium from audit recommendations. "Our audits are considered performance audits," Crossman said, explaining the office assesses whether programs meet intended goals and use resources economically and efficiently.
Why it matters: committee members pressed for clarity about the audit follow-up mechanism because budget decisions can enforce implementation. Crossman emphasized that agencies must submit corrective-action plans within 60 working days after an audit and that the governor's Office of Finance's internal audit unit performs a six-month verification report. Crossman said his office reviews those reports and brings outstanding issues back to the audit subcommittee for continued monitoring.
Crossman described the follow-up workflow: agencies create corrective-action plans; the governor's internal audit independently reviews implementation and submits a six-month report; the Legislative Auditor then reconciles differences and reports to the audit subcommittee. If recommendations remain outstanding, Crossman said his office continues oversight until the recommendations are implemented to the audit division's satisfaction.
Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop, who chaired the meeting, and other members praised the division's role. Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager told Crossman the audits "are one of the most valuable things we get as a legislature" because they provide oversight during the interim and help identify opportunities to improve operations.
Committee members discussed how audit findings sometimes inform budget requests; Crossman said agencies often seek budget enhancements after audits and that the committee's budget authority provides leverage if agencies fail to comply with recommendations. Crossman invited members to request deeper briefings on particular audits and noted the audit website contains a searchable archive of reports dating back two decades.
Ending: Crossman said additional audits may be released during the legislative session and reiterated his office's availability to brief committees or individual legislators on specific audit findings and implementation status.
