Platts Continues Efforts to Ensure Financial Accountability at DHS

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Todd Platts (PA-19) is building upon his previous efforts to ensure greater accountability at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today with the introduction of the “DHS Audit Requirement Target (DART) Act,” legislation which requires the Secretary of DHS to ensure the Department’s fiscal year 2013 balance sheets and audit results are ready in a timely manner.  In 2004, Congressman Platts was the sponsor of legislation signed into law by President George W. Bush (Public Law 108-330 - The DHS Financial Accountability Act) which required stricter auditing of DHS’ internal accounting controls.

When it was first established in 2002, DHS was not subject to the same laws governing financial management as all other cabinet-level agencies.  That was changed in 2004 with the enactment of the DHS Financial Accountability Act, but the Department still has yet to prepare its financial statements in time to receive a clean audit.

 “We must continue our efforts to demand more financial accountability at DHS,” said Congressman Platts. “Strong internal controls are essential to sound fiscal management.  With an annual budget of nearly $60 billion, such efforts are necessary to eliminate potential waste and fraud and to ensure that taxpayer funds are being utilized wisely.”

The DART Act builds on the DHS Financial Accountability Act by requiring the Secretary of DHS to take the necessary steps to ensure the Department’s fiscal year 2013 balance sheets and audit results are ready in a timely manner, so as to allow the Department to have an unqualified audit opinion for fiscal year 2013.  Furthermore, until a clean audit is produced, the DART Act requires DHS to report a plan for obtaining a clean audit, eliminating material weaknesses and significant deficiencies in its internal controls, and modernizing its financial management systems.

 The legislation is co-sponsored by Congressman Edolphus Towns (D-NY-10) and Congressman Gerald Connolly (D-VA-11).  This bill is the House companion to legislation introduced in the Senate (S. 1998) by Senators Scott Brown (R-MA), Thomas Carper (D-DE), and Ron Johnson (R-WI).