Rep. Mitchell Horner Applauds Unanimous House Passage of Legislation to Strengthen Oversight of State Finances

ATLANTA - State Representative Mitchell Horner (R-Ringgold) applauds the recent unanimous House passage of House Bill 1178, legislation he sponsored that would create the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight Committee of the Georgia House, which would be authorized to request performance audits of any entity that receives state funds.

"I am incredibly thankful for the support from my House colleagues for their vote to pass HB 1178 out of the House on Wednesday," said Rep. Horner. "This bill would create a committee with the objective of monitoring how state money is planned, spent and accounted for. This would ensure that taxpayer money is spent wisely and that our state remains fiscally responsible. I know that our counterparts in the Senate are aligned with this same mission, and I am hopeful for the bill's favorable consideration."

HB 1178 would create the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight Committee of the House of Representatives. The committee would be comprised of 19 members of the House appointed by the speaker to review and evaluate the strategic plans of the Office of Planning and Budget information, as well as reports submitted to the Office of Planning and Budget that identify money received by the state and its agencies.

Under HB 1178, an annual report would be submitted on the committee activities and findings to the General Assembly and the governor. The committee would also be authorized to request performance audits of any entity that receives state funds and would have the power to call any elected official, state employee, county manager or school superintendent to address committee findings.

The full text of HB 1178 may be found here.

HB 1178 has been sent to the Senate and now awaits their consideration.

Representative Mitchell Horner represents the citizens of District 3, which includes a portion of Catoosa County. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2022 and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Budget & Fiscal Affairs Oversight Committee. He also serves on the Retirement, Small Business Development and Transportation committees.

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