Columbus – Auditor of State Dave Yost partnered with members of the Ohio General Assembly to draft House Bill 384, which gives the Auditor of State’s office the authority to conduct performance audits of Ohio’s institutions of higher education.  Representatives Tim Schaffer and Mike Duffey today introduced the legislation in the Ohio House of Representatives.

“Organizations at every level of government have areas where operations can be improved and dollars saved.  Ohio’s state colleges and universities are no exception,” Auditor Yost said.  “House Bill 384 provides an opportunity to bring the benefits of performance audits to higher education.”

“In the state budget this spring, we took steps towards reducing the cost of earning a college degree in Ohio,” Representative Tim Schaffer said. “Performance audits will continue that trend and will be a powerful tool for colleges and universities to make higher education more affordable.” 

House Bill 384 would amend current law and grant the Auditor of State’s office the authority to conduct performance audits of state institutions of higher education as one of the four required performance audits each biennium.  Like the performance audits of state agencies, institutions of higher education would be required to report to the General Assembly on any recommendations that are not implemented within three months after the end of the comment period.

A full copy of this report may be accessed online.

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The Auditor of State’s office, one of five independently elected statewide offices in Ohio, is responsible for auditing more than 5,800 state and local government agencies. Under the direction of Auditor Dave Yost, the office also provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies and promotes transparency in government.