State Rep. Derek Stanford has been elected as the head of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee, the bipartisan committee charged with carrying out performance audits, program evaluations and other significant reviews of the legislature and state government.
Among the committee’s responsibilities are reviewing and reporting on the value and effectiveness of tax preferences – tasks that Stanford says have increasing importance as the legislature prepares to balance the budget while finding more money for education.
“Now more than ever we have a commitment to Washington taxpayers to ensure state programs — their programs — are run efficiently and effectively, and tax preferences are fair and beneficial for the state,” Stanford said recently. “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.”
The committee both carries out performance audits as directed by the legislature and receives the state auditor’s office performance audit reports. The committee is comprised of 16 legislators – eight representatives and eight senators split evenly along party lines.
Democrat Stanford is in his third two-year term representing the 1st Legislative District, including most of Mountlake Terrace, all of Brier and Bothell, unincorporated areas of Snohomish County north and east of Bothell, part of Kirkland and unincorporated areas of King County between Bothell and Kirkland.
Democratic State Sen. Maralyn Chase also is a member of the committee.
Chase represents the 32nd Legislative District, including Lynnwood, Woodway and nearby unincorporated areas of southwest Snohomish County, parts of Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace, all of Shoreline and part of northwest Seattle.
Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com.
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