Legislative auditors report fewer long‑running open findings but flag foster‑care and travel control gaps

April Renfro, director of Legislative Audits in the Legislative Services Office, told the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee on Jan. 7 that the office’s annual uncorrected findings report now covers four years of open issues, down from roughly five in recent years.

The report, Renfro said, is intended to give legislators advance notice of agency problems that may affect budgeting decisions and to provide links to audit reports so workgroups can follow up. “Seventy percent of our uncorrected findings are from the current reporting period,” Renfro said, noting that most of those remain open only because follow‑up procedures have not yet been completed.

Why it matters: Open audit findings can indicate weaknesses in internal controls or compliance that affect how agencies spend appropriations. The committee’s co‑chairs underscored that persistent or high‑risk findings can influence future appropriations, and in some cases the committee has withheld funding until an agency implements corrective action.

Renfro described the office’s portfolio and timing: the auditors perform the annual audit of the state’s comprehensive financial report (ACFR), an annual single audit that…