Joint Legislative Audit Committee elects chair, raises emergency-audit cost ceiling

The Joint Legislative Audit Committee elected an assemblymember as chair and adopted committee rules for the 2025–2026 legislative session at an organizational meeting held by the committee. Members approved the motions by roll call.

The committee approved a change to committee rule 18 that raises the cost ceiling for emergency audits from $290,000 to $320,000. Committee staff told members a copy of the proposed rules had been provided in advance and described the rules as “very similar to the rules from prior session with only 1 change,” referring to the cost-ceiling adjustment.

A motion to elect an assemblymember as chair was made and seconded; the roll call recorded members as voting in the affirmative. Members then moved to adopt the committee rules for the 2025–2026 session; that motion was also seconded and carried by roll call. During the meeting the secretary conducted roll call and recorded members as answering “I” when their names were called.

Committee leadership and rules-setting are standard organizational actions that determine how the Joint Legislative Audit Committee will conduct oversight and emergency audits during the upcoming legislative session. The committee’s rules require a majority of assembly members and senators for the rules vote; the motion to adopt rules was announced as requiring that majority and was approved.

The meeting was brief; the chair thanked members for their support, noted the committee—s immediate oversight hearing followed the organizational meeting, and adjourned after completing the two items of business.