From the Statehouse 2007 No. 28
by Jennifer Garrison
Nov. 17, 2007
FROM THE STATEHOUSE- November 15, 2007
For anyone who may be skeptical about the effectiveness of our legislative process, I give you yet another example of how well it truly works.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my opposition to House Bill 166. This bill would create the Office of Internal Auditing within the Office of Budget and Management, a state audit committee and the position of Chief Internal Auditor. As the bill was originally written, I felt it would create extensive additional costs and a new, unnecessary layer of bureaucracy. Also, there were concerns that it would place our State Auditor in an awkward position where her independence could be questioned.
At the time, that version of the legislation would have produced a number of potentially problematic, unintended consequences. I voted “no,” but the bill passed.
However, when this bill was taken up in the Senate, the members gave significant consideration to the concerns that my colleagues and I raised in the House. Governor Ted Strickland, along with members of the House, worked with the Senate to forge an agreement that was amiable to those on all sides of this issue.
The five-part amendment will:
Eliminate the audit committee's power to approve audit plans, instead providing for review and recommendations;
Set audit committee terms at three years;
Provide that state tax returns or state tax return information reviewed as part of agency audits may not be divulged publicly unless officers or employees are required to testify in court;
Require audit committee members to make ethics disclosure filings; and
Allow the Senate President and House Speaker to accept recommended appointments from chamber minority leaders.
While no structural changes can solve all corruption, this bill will head off waste, fraud and abuse in the early stages. The new and improved version of House Bill 166 is a comprehensive plan to establish independent oversight, accountability and transparency in the way state government spends tax dollars.
The Senate changes were approved unanimously with a 96-0 vote. This past week, Governor Strickland signed the bill into law.
The Ohio House also passed two other bills with my support last week. Senate Bill 144 will establish the Shaken Baby Syndrome Education Program. The program will be aimed at prevention, specifically targeting new parents. The bill requires public children services employees to document cases of child abuse that arise from shaken baby syndrome and requires the Department of Job and Family Services to annually report the number of cases. It also gives a firm definition to shaken baby syndrome, and it provides a strong first step in reducing the number of cases in Ohio.
House Bill 233 forms an agricultural development task force, permanently revives the Rural Industrial Parks Loan Program and corrects the funding mechanism of the Local Government Fund Collaboration Grant Program. It requires the task force to submit a report to the General Assembly and the governor that will provide an overview of the agriculture industry and the specialty chemicals and polymer industry in Ohio with a description of potential partnerships between the two industries.
You can reach Jennifer Garrison at her Columbus office at 614-644-8728 or in the district at 740-373-2414 or by e-mail at jennifer@jennifergarrison.com. Her website is Riffe Center | 77 South High Street | Columbus Ohio 43215-6111 | (800) 282-0253 | District93@ohr.state.oh.us
Web Site Design | FireBox Studios