Legislative Priorities

Where transparency prevails in government

State Auditor Pat McCarthy is dedicated to shining a brighter light on government operations for the public. Under her leadership, SAO’s vision and mission is to increase trust in government through independent and transparent audits of state and local governments, and to help these governments develop strategies to become more efficient and effective.

“Government transparency and accountability are more important than ever in these challenging times. The State Auditor’s Office is committed to providing the independent reviews and investigations the public expects.” – Pat McCarthy. Here’s more about State Auditor Pat McCarthy.

Currently Implementing

Requires SAO to conduct a process compliance audit of any completed deadly force investigation to determine whether the involved law enforcement agency, investigative body, and prosecutor’s office acted in compliance with specific statutory and administrative rules for conducting deadly force investigations.

• HB 1089

Agency Request Bill

Requires SAO to set standards for loss reporting by state and local governments, removes outdated filing requirements and removes obsolete provisions of law.

• SB 5002

High-interest Topics

Frequently requested information about SAO work

• SAO Supplemental Budget request
• How SAO will audit Deadly Force Investigations
• Guide to unauditable governments
• SAO press release on unemployment fraud

Legislation of Interest

Policy topics SAO is closely following

• HB 1056 – Open public meeting notice requirements and declared emergencies.
• HB 1089 – Concerning compliance audits of requirements relating to peace officers and law enforcement agencies.
• SB 5432 – Concerning cybersecurity and data sharing in Washington state government.

Legislative contact