HB-4184, As Passed Senate, June 25, 2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE BILL No. 4184

 

February 5, 2009, Introduced by Rep. Ball and referred to the Committee on Intergovernmental and Regional Affairs.

 

     A bill to amend 1919 PA 71, entitled

 

"An act to provide for the formulation and establishment of a

uniform system of accounting and reporting in the several

departments, offices, and institutions of the state government, and

in all county offices; to provide for the examination of the books

and accounts of each state department, office, and institution, and

of each county office; to provide for financial reports from all

those departments, institutions, and offices, and for the

tabulation and publication of comparative financial statistics

relating to the departments, institutions, and offices; to provide

for the administration of this act; to provide for the powers and

duties of the department of treasury, the state treasurer, the

library of Michigan and depository libraries, and other officers

and entities; to provide penalties; and to provide for meeting the

expense authorized by this act,"

 

by amending sections 4 and 5 (MCL 21.44 and 21.45), as amended by

 

2002 PA 370.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 4. It shall be the duty of each county office to make an

 


annual financial report in accordance with forms prescribed by the

 

state treasurer, which shall be uniform for all accounts of the

 

same class. The reports shall be made in duplicate, 1 copy of which

 

shall, within 6 months after the close of each fiscal year, be

 

filed in the office of the state treasurer, and shall contain an

 

accurate statement in summarized form showing, for each fiscal

 

year, the amount of all collections and receipts from all sources,

 

and their disposition, all accounts due the public treasury but not

 

collected, the amount of expenditures for every purpose and by what

 

authority authorized, the amount of indebtedness, the cost of

 

operation of all industrial activities and financial results

 

obtained, balance of funds on hand at the close of each fiscal

 

period, together with any other information as may be required by

 

the state treasurer. The substance of these reports shall be

 

arranged by the state treasurer and published at the expense of the

 

state in an annual volume of comparative statistics, and shall be

 

in the form as shall show the comparative receipts from the various

 

sources of revenue and the comparative costs of county government.

 

A sufficient number of copies of the volume shall be published to

 

furnish a copy to each member of the legislature, a copy to each

 

county office, and 200 copies for general distribution.

 

     Sec. 5. (1) The state treasurer is the supervisor of the

 

accounts of all county offices. The state treasurer may examine, or

 

cause to be examined, the books, accounts, and financial affairs of

 

each county office. The examination shall be made at least once in

 

each year, or as often as the state treasurer considers it to be

 

for the public good. The state treasurer may employ auditors,

 


examiners, and assistants as he or she considers necessary, the

 

number and compensation of whom shall be subject to the approval of

 

the state administrative board and shall be within the limits of

 

the amount of money appropriated for that purpose. In addition to

 

their compensation, they shall be paid their necessary traveling

 

expenses, which compensation and expenses, when audited and

 

approved by the state treasurer, shall be paid by the state

 

treasurer out of the fund appropriated for that purpose, upon

 

warrant of the proper officer. The state treasurer shall receive

 

his or her actual traveling expenses incurred while engaged in

 

administering the provisions of this act, which shall be paid by

 

the state treasurer out of the funds appropriated for that purpose.

 

     (2) A county shall obtain an annual audit of its financial

 

records, accounts, and procedures and may retain certified public

 

accountants to perform the audits. If a county fails to provide for

 

an audit, the state treasurer shall either conduct the audit or

 

appoint a certified public accountant to perform the audit. The

 

entire cost of any audit shall be borne by the county.

 

     (3) The state treasurer shall prescribe minimum auditing

 

procedures and standards, and these shall conform as nearly as

 

practicable to generally accepted auditing standards and procedures

 

established by the American institute of certified public

 

accountants.

 

     (4) A report of the auditing procedures applied in each audit

 

shall be prepared on a form provided for this purpose by the state

 

treasurer. The state treasurer may require that the audit report,

 

or the report of auditing procedures, or both, that are required by

 


this subsection to be filed with the state treasurer be filed in an

 

electronic format prescribed by the state treasurer.

 

     (5) One copy of every audit report and 1 copy of the report of

 

auditing procedures applied shall be filed with the state

 

treasurer.

 

     (6) The copy of the audit report and the copy of the report of

 

auditing procedures applied required by subsection (5) shall be

 

filed with the state treasurer within 6 months after the end of the

 

fiscal year of a county for which an audit has been performed under

 

this section. The chief administrative officer of a county may

 

request an extension of the filing date from the state treasurer,

 

and the state treasurer may grant the request for reasonable cause.

 

A chief administrative officer who requests an extension under this

 

subsection shall, within 10 days of making the request, inform the

 

governing body of the county in writing of the requested extension.

 

     (7) Every audit report required under this section shall do

 

all of the following:

 

     (a) State that the audit has been conducted in accordance with

 

generally accepted auditing standards and with the standards

 

prescribed by the state treasurer.

 

     (b) State that financial statements in the audit reports have

 

been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting

 

principles and with applicable rules and regulations of any state

 

department or agency. Any deviations from such principles, rules,

 

or regulations shall be described in detail.

 

     (c) Disclose any material deviations by the county from

 

generally accepted accounting practices or from applicable rules

 


and regulations of any state department or agency.

 

     (d) Disclose any fiscal irregularities including, but not

 

limited to, any defalcations, misfeasance, nonfeasance, or

 

malfeasance that came to the auditor's attention.

 

     (8) A financial audit of a county that is performed by a

 

certified public accountant in a manner consistent with auditing

 

procedures and standards established by the state treasurer and

 

that is filed with the state treasurer shall constitute an audit of

 

county accounts by competent state authority for purposes of

 

section 21 of article IX of the state constitution of 1963.

 

     (9) As used in this section, "chief administrative officer"

 

means that term as used in section 2b(3)(f) of the uniform

 

budgeting and accounting act, 1968 PA 2, MCL 141.422b.