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2007 California Government Code Article 2. Powers And Duties
CA Codes (gov:8546-8546.9)
GOVERNMENT CODESECTION 8546-8546.9
8546. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Bureau of State Audits have the independence necessary to conduct all of its audits in conformity with "Government Auditing Standards" published by the Comptroller General of the United States and the standards published by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, free from influence of existing state control agencies that could be the subject of audits conducted by the bureau. Therefore, all of the following exclusions apply to the office: (a) Notwithstanding Section 19790, the State Auditor shall establish an affirmative action program that shall meet the criteria and objectives established by the State Personnel Board and shall report annually to the State Personnel Board and the commission. (b) Notwithstanding Section 12470, the State Auditor shall be responsible for maintaining its payroll system. In lieu of audits of the uniform payroll system performed by the Controller or any other department, the office shall contract pursuant to subdivision (e) of Section 8544.5 for an annual audit of its payroll and financial operations by an independent public accountant. (c) Notwithstanding Sections 11730 and 13292, the State Auditor is delegated the authority to establish and administer the fiscal and administrative policies of the bureau in conformity with the State Administrative Manual without oversight by the Department of Finance, the Department of Information Technology, or any other state agency. (d) Notwithstanding Section 11032, the State Auditor may approve actual and necessary traveling expenses for travel outside the state for officers and employees of the bureau. (e) Notwithstanding Section 11033, the State Auditor or officers and employees of the bureau may be absent from the state on business of the state upon approval of the State Auditor or Chief Deputy State Auditor. (f) Sections 11040, 11042, and 11043 shall not apply to the Bureau of State Audits. The State Auditor may employ legal counsel under those terms that he or she deems necessary to conduct the legal business of, or render legal counsel to, the State Auditor. (g) The provisions and definitions of Article 2 (commencing with Section 11342.510) of Chapter 3.5 of Division 3 shall not be construed to include the Bureau of State Audits. The State Auditor may adopt regulations necessary for the operation of the bureau pursuant to the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Division 3), but these regulations shall not be subject to the review or approval of the Office of Administrative Law. (h) The State Auditor shall be exempt from all contract requirements of the Public Contract Code that require oversight, review, or approval by the Department of General Services or any other state agency. The State Auditor may contract on behalf of the State of California for goods and services that he or she deems necessary for the furtherance of the purposes of the bureau. (i) (1) Subject to Article VII of the California Constitution, the State Auditor is delegated the authority to establish and administer the personnel policies and practices of the Bureau of State Audits in conformity with Part 2.6 (commencing with Section 19815) of Division 5 of Title 2 without oversight or approval by the Department of Personnel Administration. (2) At the election of the State Auditor, officers and employees of the bureau may participate in benefits programs administered by the Department of Personnel Administration subject to the same conditions for participation that apply to civil service employees in other state agencies. For the purposes of benefits programs administration only, the State Auditor is subject to the determinations of the department. The Bureau of State Audits shall reimburse the Department of Personnel Administration for the normal administrative costs incurred by the Department of Personnel Administration and for any extraordinary costs resulting from the inclusion of the bureau employees in these state benefit programs. 8546.1. (a) The State Auditor shall conduct financial and performance audits as directed by statute. The State Auditor may conduct these audits of any state agency as defined by Section 11000, whether created by the California Constitution or otherwise, any local governmental agency, including any city, county, and school or special district, or any publicly created entity. However, the State Auditor shall not audit the activities of the Milton Marks Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy or the Legislature to assure compliance with government auditing standards. (b) The State Auditor shall conduct any audit of a state or local governmental agency or any other publicly created entity that is requested by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee to the extent that funding is available and in accordance with the priority established by the committee with respect to other audits requested by the committee. Members of the Legislature may submit requests for audits to the committee for its consideration and approval. Any audit request approved by the committee shall be forwarded to the State Auditor as a committee request. (c) The State Auditor shall complete any audit in a timely manner and in accordance with the "Government Auditing Standards" published by the Comptroller General of the United States. (d) Immediately upon completion of the audit, the State Auditor shall transmit a copy of the audit report to the commission. Not later than 24 hours after delivery to the commission, the commission shall deliver the report to the Legislature, appropriate committees or subcommittees of the Legislature, and the Governor. Once transmitted to these parties, the report shall be made available to the public. 8546.2. (a) The State Auditor shall request that any state agency, as defined in Section 11000, whether created by the California Constitution or otherwise, any local governmental agency, including any city, county, city and county, school, or special district, or any publicly created entity, that is the subject of an audit conducted pursuant to this chapter provide updates on its progress in implementing the recommendations made by the State Auditor, at intervals prescribed by the State Auditor. (b) Any state agency described in subdivision (a) shall provide the State Auditor, in the form prescribed by the State Auditor, with updates on implementation of recommendations as described in subdivision (a). 8546.3. The State Auditor shall examine and report annually upon the financial statements otherwise prepared by the executive branch of the state so that the Legislature and the public will be informed of the adequacy of those financial statements in compliance with generally accepted accounting principles. In making that examination, the State Auditor may make the audit examination of accounts and records, accounting procedures, and internal auditing performance that he or she determines to be necessary to disclose all material facts necessary to proper reporting in accordance with the federal Single Audit Act of 1984 (31 U.S.C. Section 7501 and following) and the purposes set forth in Section 8521.5. 8546.4. (a) The State Auditor shall annually issue an auditor's report based upon the general purpose financial statements included in the Controller's annual report that is submitted to the Governor pursuant to Section 12460. The report shall be in accordance with the "Government Auditing Standards" published by the Comptroller General of the United States and the standards published by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. (b) The State Auditor, in the performance of this annual audit, may examine all the financial records, accounts, and documents of any state agency as defined by Section 11000. (c) The State Auditor shall rely, to the maximum extent possible, upon the audits performed by the Controller, the Department of Finance, internal auditors of state agencies, and independent contractors. The Director of Finance shall be responsible for coordinating and providing technical assistance to the internal auditors of state agencies. Nothing in this article is intended to reduce or restrict the operations of internal auditors whose review of internal financial and administrative controls of state agencies is essential for coordinated audits. (d) State agencies receiving federal funds shall be primarily responsible for arranging for federally required financial and compliance audits. State agencies shall immediately notify the Director of Finance, the State Auditor, and the Controller when they are required to obtain federally required financial and compliance audits. The Director of Finance, the State Auditor, and the Controller shall coordinate the procurement by state agencies, including any negotiations with cognizant federal agencies, of federally required financial and compliance audits. (e) To prevent duplication of the annual audit conducted by the State Auditor pursuant to subdivision (a), except for those state agencies that are required by state law to obtain an annual audit, no state agency shall enter into a contract for a financial or compliance audit without prior written approval of the Controller and the Director of Finance, which approval shall state the reason for the contract and shall be filed with the State Auditor at least 30 days prior to the award of the contract. No funds appropriated by the Legislature shall be encumbered for the purpose of funding any contract for an audit that duplicates the annual financial audit conducted by the State Auditor. (f) Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, nothing in this section shall be construed to limit, restrict, or otherwise infringe upon the constitutional or statutory authority of the Controller to superintend the fiscal concerns of the state. (g) Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, nothing in this section shall be construed to limit, restrict, or otherwise infringe upon the statutory authority of the Director of Finance to supervise the financial and business policies of the state. 8546.5. (a) The State Auditor may establish a high-risk government agency audit program for the purpose of identifying, auditing, and issuing reports on any agency of the state, whether created by the California Constitution or otherwise, that the State Auditor identifies as being at high risk for the potential of waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement or that has major challenges associated with its economy, efficiency, or effectiveness. (b) In addition to identifying an agency as high risk on the basis of weaknesses identified in audit and investigative reports produced by the bureau, the State Auditor may consult with the Legislative Analyst, the Milton Marks "Little Hoover" Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy, the Office of Inspector General within the Department of Corrections, the Department of Finance, and other state agencies that have oversight responsibilities over any other agency of the state, in identifying state agencies that are at high risk. (c) The State Auditor shall notify the Joint Legislative Audit Committee whenever it identifies a state agency as at high risk. (d) The State Auditor may issue audit reports with recommendations for improvement in state agencies identified as at high risk not less than once every two years. (e) The State Auditor may require state agencies identified as high risk to periodically report to the auditor regarding the status of recommendations for improvement made by the State Auditor or other state oversight agencies. 8546.6. The State Auditor, in connection with any audit or investigation conducted pursuant to this chapter, shall be deemed to be a department head for the purposes of Section 11189. 8546.7. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, every contract involving the expenditure of public funds in excess of ten thousand dollars (,000) entered into by any state agency, board, commission, or department or by any other public entity, including a city, county, city and county, or district, shall be subject to the examination and audit of the State Auditor, at the request of the public entity or as part of any audit of the public entity, for a period of three years after final payment under the contract. Every contract shall contain a provision stating that the contracting parties shall be subject to that examination and audit. The failure of a contract to contain this provision shall not preclude the State Auditor from conducting an examination and audit of the contract at the request of the public entity entering into the contract or as part of any audit of the public entity. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Regents of the University of California include in contracts involving the expenditure of state funds in excess of ten thousand dollars (,000) a provision stating that the contracting parties shall be subject to the examination and audit of the State Auditor, at the request of the regents or as part of any audit of the university, for a period of three years after final payment under the contract. The examinations and audits under this section shall be confined to those matters connected with the performance of the contract, including, but not limited to, the costs of administering the contract. 8546.8. Unless the contrary is stated or clearly appears from the context, any reference to the Auditor General or the Office of the Auditor General in any statute or contract in effect on the effective date of this chapter, other than Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 10500), with respect to the performance of audits, shall be construed to refer to the State Auditor and the Bureau of State Audits, respectively. 8546.9. (a) The State Auditor shall conduct an audit of the state's procurement and reimbursement practices as they relate to the purchase of drugs for or by state agencies, including, but not limited to, the State Department of Mental Health, the Department of Corrections, the Department of the Youth Authority, the State Department of Developmental Services, the Public Employees' Retirement System, and the State Department of Health Services. (b) The State Auditor shall issue and provide the audit report to the Legislature no later than May 31, 2005. The State Auditor shall provide to the Chairs of the Assembly Health Committee, the Assembly Budget Committee, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, and the Joint Legislative Audit Committee the State Auditor's analysis of the auditee's one-year status report on the auditee's implementation of the recommendations contained in the audit report. It is the intent of the Legislature, if the results of the status report warrant further inquiry, that the Joint Legislative Audit Committee direct the State Auditor to conduct additional audit work, as described in this section, and to issue an additional audit report by June 2007. If circumstances continue to warrant additional work, it is the intent of the Legislature that the Joint Legislative Audit Committee direct the State Auditor to issue a third audit report by June 2009. (c) The audit report shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, all of the following: (1) A review of a representative sample of the state's procurement and reimbursement of drugs for the period examined to determine whether the state is receiving the best value for the drugs it purchases. (2) To the extent possible, a comparison of drug costs to the state with drug costs to other appropriate entities such as the federal government, the Canadian government, and private payers. (3) A determination of whether the state's procurement and reimbursement practices result in savings from strategies such as negotiated discounts, rebates, and contracts with multistate purchasing organizations, and whether the strategies selected by the state result in the lowest possible costs. (d) In preparing the audit report, as in the case of any other audit, the Bureau of State Audits is subject to Section 8545.1 of the Government Code. (e) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2010, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2010, deletes or extends that date.
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