Florida Senate - 2020                      CS for CS for SB 1624
       
       
        
       By the Committees on Appropriations; and Children, Families, and
       Elder Affairs; and Senator Perry
       
       
       
       
       576-04582-20                                          20201624c2
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to economic self-sufficiency; amending
    3         s. 11.45, F.S.; requiring the Auditor General to
    4         perform audits of specified programs at specified
    5         intervals; requiring the audits to review specified
    6         elements of such programs; requiring the Auditor
    7         General to make a specified determination, if
    8         possible; providing reporting requirements for the
    9         results of such audits; providing an effective date.
   10          
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Paragraph (m) is added to subsection (2) of
   14  section 11.45, Florida Statutes, to read:
   15         11.45 Definitions; duties; authorities; reports; rules.—
   16         (2) DUTIES.—The Auditor General shall:
   17         (m) At least every 3 years, conduct performance audits of
   18  the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program established under
   19  7 U.S.C. ss. 2011 et seq., the Temporary Cash Assistance Program
   20  provided under s. 414.095, the Medicaid program designated in s.
   21  409.963, the School Readiness Program set forth in part VI of
   22  chapter 1002, and the Housing Choice Voucher Program established
   23  under 42 U.S.C. s. 1437. Such audits shall include a review of
   24  eligibility criteria; the manner by which each program
   25  establishes and documents eligibility and disbursement policies;
   26  the frequency of eligibility determinations; the clarity of both
   27  written and verbal communication in which eligibility
   28  requirements are conveyed to current and potential program
   29  recipients; opportunities for improving service efficiency and
   30  efficacy made possible by improved integration of state data
   31  system platforms, processes, and procedures related to data
   32  collection, analysis, documentation, and interagency sharing;
   33  and a review of the number and family size of families receiving
   34  multiple program services compared to all eligible families,
   35  including whether they are single-parent or two-parent
   36  households. If possible, the Auditor General also shall
   37  determine the number of families receiving services who are
   38  claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit. The Auditor General shall
   39  provide the results of the audits in a report to the Governor,
   40  the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of
   41  Representatives, the Chief Financial Officer, and the
   42  Legislative Auditing Committee within 30 days after completion
   43  of the audit, but no later than December 31, 2020, and every 3
   44  years thereafter.
   45  
   46  The Auditor General shall perform his or her duties
   47  independently but under the general policies established by the
   48  Legislative Auditing Committee. This subsection does not limit
   49  the Auditor General’s discretionary authority to conduct other
   50  audits or engagements of governmental entities as authorized in
   51  subsection (3).
   52         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.