3.971 Legislative auditor.
Subdivision 1. Appointment and term. The legislative auditor is the executive secretary of the commission. The legislative auditor shall be appointed by the commission for a six-year term and serve in the unclassified service. When in office, the legislative auditor may not at any time hold any other public office. The legislative auditor may not be removed from office before the expiration of the term of service except for cause after public hearing.
Subd. 2. Staff; compensation. The legislative auditor shall establish a Financial Audits Division and a Program Evaluation Division to fulfill the duties prescribed in this section. Each division may be supervised by a deputy auditor, appointed by the legislative auditor, with the approval of the commission, for a term coterminous with the legislative auditor's term. The deputy auditors may be removed before the expiration of their terms only for cause. The legislative auditor and deputy auditors may each appoint a confidential secretary to serve at pleasure. The salaries and benefits of the legislative auditor, deputy auditors and confidential secretaries shall be determined by the compensation plan approved by the Legislative Coordinating Commission. The deputy auditors may perform and exercise the powers, duties and responsibilities imposed by law on the legislative auditor when authorized by the legislative auditor. The deputy auditors and the confidential secretaries serve in the unclassified civil service, but all other employees of the legislative auditor are in the classified civil service. While in office, a person appointed deputy for the Financial Audit Division must hold an active license as a certified public accountant.
Subd. 3. Repealed, 1998 c 366 s 90
Subd. 3a. Transfer of powers, duties, and responsibilities. All the powers, duties, and responsibilities of the department of public examiner relating to the state of Minnesota, its departments and agencies as described in Minnesota Statutes 1971, section 215.03, and any other law concerning powers, duties, and responsibilities of the public examiner not otherwise dealt with by Laws 1973, chapter 492, are transferred to the legislative auditor. Nothing in this subdivision shall supersede the powers conferred upon the commissioner of finance under section 16A.055.
Subd. 4. Prescribed duties. In addition to the legislative auditing duties concerning state financial matters, the legislative auditor shall also exercise and perform duties prescribed by rule of the legislature or either body of it or by the commission.
Subd. 5. Testimonial powers. The legislature may, by rule, provide to the legislative auditor the testimonial powers that are conferred by law on legislative standing commissions or committees.
Subd. 6. Financial audits. The legislative auditor shall audit the financial statements of the state of Minnesota required by section 16A.50 and, as resources permit, shall audit Minnesota state colleges and universities, the University of Minnesota, state agencies, departments, boards, commissions, courts, and other state organizations subject to audit by the legislative auditor, including the state agricultural society, agricultural utilization research institute, Minnesota Technology, Inc., Minnesota historical society, labor interpretive center, Minnesota partnership for action against tobacco, metropolitan sports facilities commission, metropolitan airports commission, and metropolitan mosquito control district. Financial audits must be conducted according to generally accepted government auditing standards. The legislative auditor shall see that all provisions of law respecting the appropriate and economic use of public funds are complied with and may, as part of a financial audit or separately, investigate allegations of noncompliance by employees of departments and agencies of the state government and the other organizations listed in this subdivision.
Subd. 7. Program evaluations. The legislative auditor shall conduct program evaluations to determine the degree to which the activities and programs entered into or funded by the state are accomplishing their goals and objectives, including a critical analysis of goals and objectives, measurement of program results and effectiveness, alternative means of achieving the same results, and efficiency in the allocation of resources. The legislative auditor shall recommend ways to improve the effectiveness of the programs, reduce the cost of providing state services, and eliminate services of one agency that overlap with or duplicate the services performed by another agency. At the direction of the commission the legislative auditor may conduct program evaluations of any state department, board, commission, or agency and any metropolitan agency, board, or commission created under chapter 473; or any program or activity established or funded, in whole or in part, by the state. After an evaluation report has been released, the legislative auditor may periodically conduct a follow-up review to assess what changes have occurred.
Subd. 8. Best practices reviews. (a) The legislative auditor shall conduct best practices reviews that examine the procedures and practices used to deliver local government services, determine the methods of local government service delivery, identify variations in cost and effectiveness, and identify practices to save money or provide more effective service delivery. The legislative auditor shall recommend to local governments service delivery methods and practices to improve the cost-effectiveness of services. The legislative auditor and the board of government innovation and cooperation shall notify each other of projects being conducted relating to improving local government services.
(b) The commission shall approve local government services to be reviewed with advice from an advisory council appointed by the legislative auditor and consisting of:
(1) three representatives from the Association of Minnesota Counties;
(2) three representatives from the League of Minnesota Cities;
(3) two representatives from the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities;
(4) one representative from the Minnesota Association of Townships; and
(5) one representative from the Minnesota Association of School Administrators.
HIST: (53-13,3286-9,3286-16) 1925 c 426 art 3 s 10; 1939 c 431 art 4 s 2,9; 1949 c 33 s 1; 1973 c 492 s 12,27; 1973 c 720 s 76 subd 2; 1975 c 204 s 90,91; 1980 c 484 s 1-3; 1981 c 311 s 39; 1982 c 545 s 24; 1983 c 317 s 1; 1984 c 638 s 1; 1985 c 248 s 70; 1986 c 444; 1988 c 469 art 1 s 1; 1988 c 703 art 1 s 7; 1989 c 351 s 1; 1991 c 345 art 1 s 38,39; 1993 c 4 s 5; 1993 c 192 s 35; 1994 c 632 art 3 s 15,16; 1997 c 184 s 1,2; 1998 c 325 s 1; 1999 c 99 s 2,23; 1Sp2003 c 1 art 2 s 2
* NOTE: Subdivision 8 is repealed by Laws 2003, First *Special Session chapter 1, article 2, section 136, effective *July 1, 2004.
Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes