CS/HB 7035 - Government Accountability Summary

• Expands notification authority for auditing and financial reporting failures by allowing the Governor, Commissioner of Education, and their designees to notify the Legislative Auditing Committee of noncompliance by local governmental entities, school boards, and charter schools.

• Establishes mandatory internal control requirements across state agencies, local governments, schools, and higher education institutions designed to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse; promote compliance; ensure efficient operations; and safeguard assets and financial records.

• Requires counties, municipalities, and water management districts to post tentative and final budgets on their websites for specified periods (tentative budgets for at least 45 days, final budgets for at least 2 years).

• Authorizes the Auditor General to conduct audits of tourist development councils and county tourism promotion agencies, and requires annual financial audits of the Florida Virtual School by independent certified public accountants.

• Makes violations of audit document access requirements a first-degree misdemeanor and increases penalties for failing to comply with auditing and financial reporting requirements; effective July 1, 2019.