Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade Shares 2024-25 Annual Audit Plan

PRESS RELEASE

Secretary of State Header Image

Date: February 20, 2024 
Contact: Laura Kerns | laura.kerns@sos.oregon.gov

Salem, OR — Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade and the Oregon Audits Division are pleased to announce the 2024-25 Annual Audit Plan.

Each year, the division develops and shares the annual audit plan to announce which state agencies and programs the division plans to audit in the coming year. The annual audit plan also includes a description of the division’s risk assessment process, by which auditors determine how best to allocate resources to address risks within state government.

This year’s plan includes the following new performance and IT audits:

  • Governance at the Bureau of Labor and Industries
  • Behavioral Health Crisis Services and Crisis Response at the Oregon Health Authority
  • Operations at the Department of Corrections
  • Emergency Management Time Accounting Practices at the Oregon Department of Emergency Management
  • High School Graduation and College and Career Readiness Act (Measure 98) at the Department of Education
  • Measure 110 Program Effectiveness at the Oregon Health Authority
  • Statewide Contracting Practices at multiple agencies
  • State Data Center Operations and Controls at the Department of Administrative Services, Enterprise Information Services
  • Cybersecurity Controls at the Oregon Judicial Department

“When I was sworn in as Oregon’s Secretary of State, I knew my top priority had to be rebuilding public trust in our agency,” said Secretary Griffin-Valade. “I am pleased to report the division has improved and refined several of its processes and procedures, two of which are reflected in this plan.”

The 2024-25 Audit Plan clearly states the origin of each planned audit, and the Division is using an audit team-centric approach, wherein auditors will be responsible for identifying, ranking, and proposing audits for inclusion in the plan. Additionally, the Audits Division has launched an ongoing initiative to clearly document the risk assessment process by which audit projects are selected.

“Future audits will benefit from some of our longer-term planned efforts, which include contracting with an independent, third-party consultant to further improve the risk assessment process,” Secretary Griffin-Valade wrote in her introduction to the Audit Plan.

“Risk assessments are inherently subjective, as Government Auditing Standards don’t provide requirements or guidance for how they should be done,” said Audits Director Kip Memmott. “Our enhanced risk assessment approach ensures we rely primarily on the judgment and independence of professional auditors to identify significant risks to state resources and programs.”

“I want to thank Audits Director Kip Memmott and the Audits Division’s dedicated staff,” said Secretary Griffin-Valade. “They’ve endured intense scrutiny — including my own — with grace and dignity. They are the reason I can stand proudly behind the division’s good work.”

Read the full plan on the Secretary of State website.

###