S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
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                                   2641
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 13, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sens. RANZENHOFER, DeFRANCISCO, FUNKE, GALLIVAN, SEWARD --
   read  twice  and  ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to
   the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to making internal  audit
   functions  optional  by  school districts unless an audit by the comp-
   troller reveals deficiencies

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. Subdivisions 1, 2 and 7 of section 2116-b of the education
 law, subdivisions 1 and 7 as added by chapter 263 of the laws  of  2005,
 and subdivision 2 as amended by section 4 of part A of chapter 57 of the
 laws  of  2013,  are amended and a new subdivision 8 is added to read as
 follows:
   1. No later than July first, two thousand six,  each  school  district
 shall  establish  an internal audit function to be in operation no later
 than the following December thirty-first. Such function  shall  include:
 (a)  development  of a risk assessment of district operations, including
 but not limited to, a review of financial policies  and  procedures  and
 the  testing and evaluation of district internal controls; (b) [an annu-
 al] A review and update of such risk assessment; and (c) preparation  of
 reports[,  at least annually or more frequently as the trustees or board
 of education may direct,]  which  analyze  significant  risk  assessment
 findings,  recommend  changes  for  strengthening  controls and reducing
 identified risks, and specify  timeframes  for  implementation  of  such
 recommendations.
   2. School districts of less than eight teachers, school districts with
 actual general fund expenditures totaling less than five million dollars
 in  the previous school year, or school districts with actual enrollment
 of less than one thousand five hundred students in the  previous  school
 year shall be exempt from this requirement. Any school district claiming
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02870-01-7
              

 S. 2641                             2
 
 such  exemption  shall  [annually] certify to the commissioner that such
 school district meets the requirements set forth in this subdivision.
   7.  Nothing  in  this section shall be construed as requiring a school
 district in any city with a population of one hundred twenty-five  thou-
 sand  or  more  to replace or modify an existing internal audit function
 where such function already exists by special or local law, so  long  as
 the  superintendent  of the district [annually] certifies to the commis-
 sioner that the existing internal audit function meets  or  exceeds  the
 requirements of this section.
   8.    NOTWITHSTANDING  ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW TO THE CONTRARY, THE
 INTERNAL AUDIT FUNCTION ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO THIS  SECTION  SHALL  BE
 OPTIONAL  BY ALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS UNLESS THE COMPTROLLER FINDS DEFICIEN-
 CIES IN THE AUDIT PERFORMED PURSUANT  TO  SECTION  THIRTY-THREE  OF  THE
 GENERAL  MUNICIPAL  LAW.  IF  DEFICIENCIES ARE FOUND BY THE COMPTROLLER,
 SCHOOL DISTRICTS SHALL PERFORM BIENNIAL INTERNAL AUDITS UNTIL THE  COMP-
 TROLLER CONDUCTS ANOTHER AUDIT OF SUCH SCHOOL DISTRICT.
   §  2.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
 the date on which it shall have become a law.