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Guest Column from
Representative Richard Adams
Eliminating
Government Waste and Fraud
As Ohio’s government tries to balance the state budget, all eyes are on
public spending practices. Ohioans are scrutinizing the way state
government is allocating the tax dollars they provide, and rightly so.
It is the government’s job to operate in an economical manner
beneficial to the public. Our families and communities want to ensure
that their tax money is being used as effectively as possible.
Here in the state legislature, my colleagues and I are looking for ways
to reduce waste and fraud in public offices. In order to avoid
crippling debt, Ohio’s government must take a magnifying glass to its
fiscal practices and identify any weaknesses and corruption lurking
under the surface. I am devoted to championing legislation aimed
at preventing irresponsible spending habits.
To this end, I have supported two bills drafted for this explicit
purpose. House Bills 2 and 66 address waste and fraud in state
government, respectively. H.B. 2 passed through the state legislature
and was recently signed into law by the governor. Specifically, it
requires biennial administrative performance audits of certain state
agencies. The state auditor will conduct these audits to uncover
inefficiencies and excessive spending. It is vital that state agencies
operate in a cost-effective manner, and H.B. 2 will provide the
transparency to make this happen. The first three are Job and Family
Services, Department of Education, and Department of Transportation.
With the wealth of information generated from these performance audits,
the auditor of state will be able to make cost-saving recommendations.
These recommendations will not only save tax dollars, but they will
also ensure that state agencies can better serve all Ohioans. By
eliminating duplicative services and streamlining operations, these
agencies will be more easily navigable to those who most need them.
H.B. 66 will also save tax dollars, but in a different way. The
legislation will create a fraud abuse reporting system. Concerned
residents and public employees will be able to anonymously report
instances of fraud and misuse of public funds to a system established
by the state auditor. This sort of anonymous system encourages citizens
to come forward because they will be protected from retaliatory
repercussions. To this end, the bill also extends the whistle-blower
protections against firing state employees who provide tips to the
system.
The viability of anonymous fraud reporting systems has been proven
through the success of other anti-fraud programs. The Association of
Certified Fraud Examiners has found that operations with an anonymous
fraud hotline reduce their median loss by 50 percent. In addition, 50
percent of fraud found in government agencies is exposed by tips. With
similar results, Ohio’s government will be able to identify and fix
incidents of fraud, saving tax dollars and tackling government
corruption.
This legislative session, I would like to see even more bills
introduced that will increase government accountability. House Bills 2
and 66 are a great start in this effort, but the General Assembly must
remain focused on saving tax dollars and preventing wasteful and
unethical spending. In the coming months and years, I pledge to support
legislation focused on these specific goals. It is my goal that Ohio’s
government will continue to increase its efficiency and transparency in
the future.
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