HB257 Summary

• Creates a permanent Joint Legislative Committee on Government Oversight and Accountability consisting of 12 members: the chairs of four budget committees (House Education Ways and Means, House General Fund Ways and Means, Senate Finance and Taxation Education, and Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund) plus 4 Senate and 4 House members appointed by their respective chamber leaders.

• Committee members receive compensation under Amendment 871 to the Alabama Constitution; initial appointments made within 30 days of enactment, with successor appointments every four years beginning in 2019.

• Grants committee power to provide continuous legislative oversight of state agencies, review expenditures, evaluate program effectiveness, request audits through the Chief Examiner of Public Accounts, and hold public hearings; requires state agencies to cooperate and produce requested documents.

• Amends Alabama Code Section 41-19-10 to require the Department of Finance to notify the committee 30 days before modifying planned expenditures and to notify the committee before executing interagency agreements involving employee or program transfers that could effectuate policy changes.

• Committee must meet monthly and requires approval by a majority of both House and Senate members for all actions; becomes effective immediately upon passage.