State Auditor Dave Boliek’s first few months on the job have been busy, with findings from an audit of DMV set to be released soon and the North Carolina Board of Elections recently shifting to the Auditor’s office.

Following passage in the House in May, House Bill 549 Clarify Powers of State Auditor is working its way through the committee process in the Senate, clearing a key hurdle in Senate Judiciary this morning.

House Bill 549 strengthens the independence of the Auditor’s office, exempting the Auditor from the Department of Administration having to approve consultant contracts. It would also modify the Auditor’s relationship with Department of Information Technology to mirror that of DIT’s relationship with the Legislature and the judicial branch. These changes strengthen the Auditor’s independence to reduce any potential limitations on the Auditor’s ability to do their job.

Another critical piece of House Bill 549 is the expansion of the Auditor’s authority to investigate entities who receive public funds. Frequently government agencies contract work to outside entities, and the existing law’s limit of the Auditor’s power to investigate agencies and state employees means that contracted entities have no oversight of their use of taxpayer dollars.