Yesterday, the North Carolina Senate passed Senate Bill 474, creating the Division of Accountability, Value, and Efficiency (DAVE) in the State Auditor’s office and establishing a process for comprehensive review of state agency operations.
The bill requires each state agency to report to the DAVE on how it spends taxpayer funds and detail all positions that have been vacant for at least six months. The State Auditor will then report back to the General Assembly about whether any state agencies and/or divisions or offices within an agency should be dissolved and whether any positions should be eliminated. The General Assembly would make any final decisions on cuts and changes.
“Funds sent to state agencies come out of the pockets of North Carolinians,” Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) said. “Requiring a review of state agency operations and staffing is the right thing to do to ensure that those tax dollars are not wasted.”
Additionally, the DAVE Act gives the State Auditor the ability to utilize artificial intelligence and other tools to examine a state agency’s spending, including the effectiveness of the spending, duplicative spending, and the fiscal soundness of the agency.
“It’s critically important for us to know how tax money is being spent,” Sen. Tim Moffitt (R-Henderson) said. “The objective with this comprehensive review is to keep state agencies on the right track and ensure North Carolinians’ tax dollars are being used appropriately and wisely.”
Sen. Steve Jarvis (R- Davidson) said, “Empowering the State Auditor’s office to do a full deep dive into state spending will shed light on what is and isn’t working at our state agencies. In an era of increased focus on efficiency, this review will do a lot to help reassure our citizens that their tax dollars are being put where they are needed.”
The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.
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Video above courtesy of PBS North Carolina’s State Lines (March 28, 2025)
