State Rep. Samantha Kerkman /Contributed photo
The Wisconsin Senate and Assembly passed legislation that modernizes the responsibilities and statutory audit priorities for the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB). Senator Robert Cowles (R-Allouez) and Rep. Samantha Kerkman (R-Randall) brought this proposal forward to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, which in unanimous, bipartisan action, introduced the legislation.
From a statement released by Kerkman’s office:
In unanimous voice votes on March 5th and March 6th, the Legislature passed 2013 Senate Bill 27, which now advances to the Governor. “This legislation improves the ability of the Legislative Audit Bureau to tackle the important issues quickly, instead of being bogged down by outdated statutes. It is important that we have the oversight that Wisconsin taxpayers deserve to keep government accountable†said Senator Cowles. The enrolled bill eliminates certain one-time audit requirements that have been completed by LAB, allows certain other audit requirements to be performed at the discretion of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee or the State Auditor, repeals certain other audit requirements and responsibilities, and requires an annual financial audit of the University of Wisconsin System. This bill will help maximize the resources of the Audit Bureau so that they can be directed toward areas of state spending deemed most urgent by the Legislature. The legislation is the product of bipartisan collaboration among the members of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee as well as past co-chairpersons of the Committee, including Senator Kathleen Vinehout and Representative Peter Barca. “This bill will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of government by allowing the Audit Committee more flexibility to order audits as spending concerns come to light,†said Rep. Kerkman. LAB is a nonpartisan legislative agency responsible for conducting financial and program evaluation audits of state agencies. Audit Bureau reports typically contain reviews of financial transactions, analyses of agency performance or public policy issues, conclusions regarding the causes of problems found, and recommendations for improvement. Reports are submitted to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and made available to other committees of the Legislature and to the public. For more information about the work of the nonpartisan LAB, please visit LAB’s website at http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lab/ or call 608‑266-2818.
Kerkman’s Assembly district includes most of Western Kenosha County
