§ 147‑64.5.  Cooperation with Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations and other governmental bodies.

(a) Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations. – The Auditor shall furnish copies of any and all audits only when requested by the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations. The copies shall be in written or electronic form, as requested. Accordingly, the Auditor shall, upon request by the chairmen, appear before the Commission to present findings and answer questions concerning the results of these audits. The Commission is hereby authorized to use these audit findings in its inquiries concerning the operations of State agencies and is empowered to require agency heads to advise the Commission of actions taken or to be taken on any recommendations made in the report or explain the reasons for not taking action.

(b) Requests for Auditor Assistance. – Committees of the General Assembly, the Governor, and other State officials may make written requests that the Auditor undertake, to the extent deemed practicable and within the resources provided, a specific audit or investigation; provide technical assistance and advice; and provide recommendations on management systems, finance, accounting, auditing, and other areas of management interest. The Auditor may request the advice of the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations in prioritizing these requests and in determining whether the requests are practicable and can be undertaken within the resources provided.

(c) Cooperation with Other Governmental Bodies. – The Auditor shall cooperate, act, and function with other audit or evaluation organizations in the State, with appropriate councils or committees of other states, with governing bodies of the political subdivisions of the State, and with federal agencies in an effort to maximize the extent of intergovernmental audit coordination and thereby avoid unnecessary duplication and expense of audit effort. Nothing in this Article is intended nor shall it be construed as giving the Auditor control over the internal auditors of any agency. (1983, c. 913, s. 2; 1997‑443, s. 25; 2001‑424, s. 9.1(b).)