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Joint Audit Committee adopts multiple committee reports, sets follow-ups
Summary
On Feb. 13, 2026, the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee adopted minutes and reports from its executive, counties & municipalities, education institutions, state agencies, and Medicaid subcommittee and scheduled follow-up reporting; several delinquent municipal audits were given compliance deadlines under Arkansas Code 14-59-117.
The Legislative Joint Auditing Committee convened Feb. 13, 2026, adopted the January minutes and approved reports from multiple standing committees and the executive committee, and set follow-up actions for several delinquent municipal audits.
Representative Lundstrom reported on the executive committee (met Feb. 12) and staff briefed the committee on audits and a special report schedule for presentation to standing committees. Senator Johnson presented the counties and municipalities report, noting progress in delinquent water and sewer audits and granting towns found substantially noncompliant 60 days to reach compliance under Arkansas Code 14-59-117. Representative Duke reported the education institutions committee filed 31 reports, including a finding in the Cedarville School District audit certified to the governmental bonding board and referred to prosecuting authorities. Senator McKee summarized state agency audits that identified improper benefit payments at the Department of Human Services, receipt and change-fund losses at Parks, Heritage, and Tourism, unauthorized fuel-card purchases at the Department of Corrections, and payroll issues at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Medicaid subcommittee, meeting for the first time since 2018, reviewed historical responsibilities for Medicaid-related audits and heard presentations from DHS, the Office of Medicaid Inspector General and the Attorney General's Office. Committee members moved to adopt each report and the motions were carried by voice vote as recorded in the transcript.
Why it matters: the committee’s actions formalize findings, refer certain matters to prosecuting authorities, and require follow-up information that could prompt administrative or legal action; towns and agencies cited in the reports have specified timelines or referrals noted in the adopted reports.
Next steps: the committee scheduled follow-up reporting on several items and announced its next meeting in March 2026 before adjourning.
