BP BHEAD INT S [atlas:bill]

AN ACT Relating to an audit of the licensing application migration project and companion projects; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The department of information services shall perform an audit of the licensing application migration project (LAMP), LITE, and all companion projects.

(2) In conducting the audit, the auditor shall involve the department's frontline employees, department and program managers, customers of the department's programs and services, other taxpayers, legislators, legislative staff, office of financial management staff, and other external public and private sector experts as deemed appropriate in conducting the performance audit.

(3) The audit must identify those activities and programs that should be continued, those that should be abandoned, and those that need to be redirected or other alternatives explored. In conducting the audit, the auditor shall:

(a) Identify each of the project's discrete functions or activities, along with associated costs and full-time equivalent staff;

(b) Review each phased segment of the LAMP project and any associated companion projects;

(d) Consider whether or not the purpose for which the project was created is still valid based on the circumstances under which the project was begun versus those that exist at the time of the audit;

(e) Recommend organizations or programs in the public or private sector to be used as benchmarks against which to measure the performance of the project;

(f) Determine whether or not the project is achieving the results for which it was established;

(g) Identify alternatives for delivering the project, either in the public or private sector;

(h) Identify any duplication of services with other government programs or private enterprises or gaps in services;

(i) Identify the costs or implications of not performing the project;

(j) Determine the frequency with which other states perform similar projects, as well as their relative funding levels and performance;

(k) In the event of inadequate performance by the project, identify the potential for a workable, affordable plan to improve performance;

(l) Identify, to the extent possible, the causes of the project's failure to achieve the desired results and identify alternatives for reducing costs or improving service delivery, including transferring functions to other public or private sector organizations;

(m) Develop recommendations regarding statutes that inhibit or do not contribute to the department's ability to perform its functions effectively and efficiently;

(n) Evaluate the effectiveness of the department's governance and the legislature's policy and fiscal oversight of the department; and

(o) Develop an advisory recommendation regarding whether the department's project activities should be continued, abandoned, or restructured.

(4) The audit must be conducted under the procedures established in chapter 44.28 RCW, including the preparation of preliminary and final audit reports under RCW 44.28.088 and a follow-up compliance report under RCW 44.28.091. The preliminary audit report shall be completed by August 1, 1997, and the final audit report shall be published by November 1, 1997.