52:15C-1 Findings, declarations relative to the office of the State Comptroller.

1. The Legislature finds and declares that:

As the size of State and local government agencies and authorities has grown over the last several decades to meet growing demands for governmental assistance and programs to meet new and growing societal needs, the State's ability to manage the various governmental systems of public financial control and accountability has not matched the State Government's responsibility to subject governmental financial activities to uniform, meaningful, and systematic public scrutiny;

Meeting the responsibility for overseeing and promoting the professional conduct of internal audits, providing assurance on the adequacy of internal financial controls within agencies of government, including assessing the adequacy of controls over financial management, contracting, financial reporting and the delivery of government programs and activities with due regard to efficiency, effectiveness and economy is a fundamental duty of governmental officials to the taxpayers and public whom they serve;

The Governor has the responsibility to manage the operations of the Executive branch of State government, including oversight of all entities exercising executive branch authority, public institutions of higher education, units of local government and boards of education, efficiently and effectively supported by audit and oversight functions that strengthen public accountability with the goal of increasing public trust and confidence that every tax dollar collected by government is spent wisely and well;

There is a compelling need for State government to put into practice the presumption that there will be independence and integrity in the financial oversight of the discharge of its duties and responsibilities carried out in a manner and under a structure that safeguards the fiscal resources with which it has been entrusted; and

There is a need, therefore, to establish an independent Office of the State Comptroller which will report directly to the Governor, to ensure that these responsibilities are met.

L.2007, c.52, s.1.