(The Center Square) – DOGE is in Washington, DAVE is in Raleigh.
Mimicking the federal government, a proposal passing the North Carolina Senate with a single Democrat in favor would establish the Division of Accountability, Value, and Efficiency within the office of state auditor. Republican Dave Boliek is in his first term leading the office charged with auditing “more than $100 billion in state assets and liabilities each year, bringing transparency to local, state, and federal government,” its website mission statement says.
The DAVE Act, known also as Senate Bill 474, says it would enact the division “directing each state agency to report to the division on its use of public monies and the status of its vacant positions, and directing the division to assess the continued need of each state agency and the vacant positions within each agency.”
Use of artificial intelligence, among other tools, is granted in the proposal.
Author of the bill, Republican Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger of Rockingham County, said in a release, “Funds sent to state agencies come out of the pockets of North Carolinians. Requiring a review of agency operations and staffing is the right thing to do to ensure that those tax dollars are not wasted.”
If made law, it would be effective immediately. The sunset on the act is Dec. 31, 2028, concurrent with the end of Boliek’s term in office.
Republican Sen. Steve Jarvis of Davidson County said the “deep dive” will tell what works and what doesn’t in state agencies.
Sen. Dan Blue, D-Wake, was the lone member of his party in support. No Republicans were in opposition in the 29-17 passage.
Boliek’s office, in a summary report this week, said it has issued 21 audits thus far and launched the Hurricane Helene Recovery Dashboard. It has also spent time engaging with communities across the state, the report said.
The audits thus far have confirmed a turnaround for the embattled state Department of Transportation; $45 million in financial reporting errors at North Carolina Central University; $8.5 million in questioned costs for federal grants; and analysis of NCInnovation recommending it lower operational risk with private fundraising and improve transparency and communication to its Board of Directors.
