New Jersey § 52:15c-1

§ 52:15c-1.

The Legislature finds and declares that: As the size of State and local government agencies and authorities has grown over

the last several decades to meet growing demands for governmental assistance and programs

to meet new and growing societal needs, the State's ability to manage the various

governmental systems of public financial control and accountability has not matched

the State Government's responsibility to subject governmental financial activities

to uniform, meaningful, and systematic public scrutiny; Meeting the responsibility for overseeing and promoting the professional conduct of

internal audits, providing assurance on the adequacy of internal financial controls

within agencies of government, including assessing the adequacy of controls over financial

management, contracting, financial reporting and the delivery of government programs

and activities with due regard to efficiency, effectiveness and economy is a fundamental

duty of governmental officials to the taxpayers and public whom they serve; The Governor has the responsibility to manage the operations of the Executive branch

of State government, including oversight of all entities exercising executive branch

authority, public institutions of higher education, units of local government and

boards of education, efficiently and effectively supported by audit and oversight

functions that strengthen public accountability with the goal of increasing public

trust and confidence that every tax dollar collected by government is spent wisely

and well; There is a compelling need for State government to put into practice the presumption

that there will be independence and integrity in the financial oversight of the discharge

of its duties and responsibilities carried out in a manner and under a structure that

safeguards the fiscal resources with which it has been entrusted; and There is a need, therefore, to establish an independent Office of the State Comptroller

which will report directly to the Governor, to ensure that these responsibilities

are met.