Bothell third-term Representative Derek Stanford was recently elected as the head of the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Committee, the bipartisan committee charged with carrying out performance audits, program evaluations and other significant reviews of the legislature and state government.
Among JLARC’s responsibilities are reviewing and reporting on the value and effectiveness of tax preferences – tasks with increasing importance and impact as the legislature prepares to balance the budget while increasing funding for education.
“Now more than ever we have a commitment to Washington tax payers to ensure state programs—their programs—are run efficiently and effectively, and tax preferences are fair and beneficial for the state,” Stanford said. “JLARC is the gold standard for policy and fiscal accountability in state government, and I’m honored to chair a committee that advances government transparency and accountability.”
JLARC both carries out performance audits as directed by the legislature and receives the Auditor’s Office performance audit reports. The committee is comprised of 16 legislators – eight representatives and eight senators split evenly among party lines.