54-35-02.2. Powers and duties of the legislative audit and fiscal review committee

54-35-02.2. Powers and duties of the legislative audit and fiscal review committee The legislative audit and fiscal review committee shall study and review audit reports as selected by the committee from those submitted by the state auditor, confer with the auditor and deputy auditors in regard to such reports, and when necessary, confer with representatives of the department, agency, or institution audited in order to obtain full and complete information in regard to any and all fiscal transactions and governmental operations of any department, agency, or institution of the state. The committee shall meet at least once each calendar quarter during each interim. Each department, agency, or institution shall furnish to the committee such aid, information, and assistance in regard to fiscal transactions and governmental operations as it may from time to time request. Whenever the committee may determine or have reason to believe that there may have been a violation of law relating to the receipt, custody, or expenditure of public funds by any state officer or employee, the committee shall present such evidence or information as may be in its possession to the attorney general. The attorney general shall receive and accept such evidence or information and shall immediately commence such additional investigation as the attorney general determines necessary. Upon completion of the investigation, if the evidence supplied by the committee and through the investigation indicates the probability of a violation of law by any state official or employee, the attorney general immediately shall prosecute such official or employee as provided by law. Whenever the committee may determine that a state agency, department, or institution has failed to correct an audit finding within two bienniums which the committee determines critically important, the committee may recommend the legislative assembly reduce the state agency, department, or institution's appropriation as compared with the amount appropriated to the agency, department, or institution for the previous biennium. The legislative management, through its committee on legislative audit and fiscal review, or such persons as may be directed or employed by the legislative council, is authorized, within the limits of legislative appropriations, to make such audits, examinations, or studies of the fiscal transactions or governmental operations of departments, agencies, or institutions of the state as the legislative management may determine necessary.