Mississippi Hosts Southeastern & Southwest Intergovernmental Audit Forum

September 18, 2013

BILOXI, Miss.- This week, Mississippi hosted the Southeastern and Southwest Intergovernmental Audit Forum in Biloxi. The conference ran from Monday through Wednesday.

Gene Dodaro, the Comptroller General of the United States, served as the keynote speaker on Tuesday morning. Dodaro spoke about the wide range of financial, management and fiscal challenges that local governments throughout the United States face.

Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States

Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States

“It is an honor for Mississippi to serve as host for this week’s conference, and it was great to have Gene Dodaro speak to the group,” State Auditor Stacey Pickering said. “Over 125 attendees from several different states participated in the forum, which featured a number of dynamic speakers covering topics important to both the federal government and state agencies.”

Pickering spoke on Tuesday during a session that covered accountability in education spending and the work that the State Auditor’s Office is undertaking to certify that funding is equitable and auditable.

“Over forty percent of our State budget is dedicated to K-12 spending, and we must ensure that that money is being handled appropriately,” Auditor Pickering added. “This year, we were able to work with the Legislature to standardize the definition of a school day for MAEP, and we will continue to bring these important issues forward to the public.”

The Southeastern and Southwest regions include the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

###