The state budget bill (ESHB 1244) is a legislative raid on an effective government accountability tool. The state Auditor is charged with conducting independent, comprehensive performance audits of state and local government bodies to identify inefficiency and provide recommendations for potential savings.

The Auditor should be protected from pressure and retribution by other

branches of government. The law was written so that only the state Auditor could authorize expenditures from the performance audit account. This enables the auditor to conduct his performance audit duties without fear of retribution.

Performance audits have identified more than $3 billion in cost savings and unnecessary spending. Implementing these ideas would produce far more benefit to the state than the Legislature can gain by raiding the

performance audit account.

In this current economic downturn, families and businesses are forced to

evaluate spending and identify every potential cost-saving measure. We expect government entities to do the same. This is the wrong time to rob a cost-savings program of funding.

The sections attacking the performance audits are Sections 124(3), 805, and 929. The governor should veto these sections.

John F. Derrig, Bellevue