Bill Would Make Agency Evaluations A Secret

A bill that will allow a legislative committee to decide behind closed doors which state agencies to evaluate is on its way to Gov. Phil Batt.

The House voted 57-10 on Friday for a bill clarifying the responsibilities of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee and the new Legislative Performance Evaluation agency.

Rep. Jim Stoicheff, D-Sandpoint, objected to a provision in the bill making it clear the panel can decide in secret which agencies to audit or to continue auditing.

Rep. Bruce Newcomb, R-Burley, has been pushing for efficiency evaluations of state agencies for years, promising that hundreds of thousands of savings could be found.

Stoicheff said the four-person agency has become “a bureau within a bureau within a bureau.”

He said it was supposed to be a bureau of one person with a budget of about $50,000, supervising outside audits of agencies. The current budget is $325,000 and the budget for next year is to be $335,000.

Stoicheff also objected to provisions which would allow the director to keep secret any information she believes will result in litigation.

Backers of the agency said earlier they needed confidentiality for whistleblowers or others with information about state agencies who fear for their jobs.