The Audits Division of the Secretary of State’s Office released its 2022-23 plan Thursday. (Salem Reporter)
BY JULIA SHUMWAY/Oregon Capital Chronicle
SALEM — A rental assistance program that left thousands of Oregonians facing eviction and the commission that oversees horse racing will face extra scrutiny from state auditors this year.
Each year, the Audits Division of the Secretary of State’s office picks a handful of state agencies or programs to audit. The division’s 2022-23 plan, released Thursday, includes ongoing investigations into broadband access, unemployment benefits and whether cannabis business licenses are effective and equitable, along with several new additions.
It will also audit the state’s rental assistance program following a request by two state legislators who chair housing committees in the House and Senate. They requested an audit of Oregon’s pandemic rental assistance program in December, the same day lawmakers returned to Salem to protect people who had applied for aid from eviction.
The state’s rental assistance program aimed to protect people affected by the pandemic by sending renters and landlords about $500 million in state and federal aid to cover rent and utilities. But it didn’t keep up with requests from renters, with thousands facing eviction because of months-long delays in responding to requests.
Kip Memmott, director of the Audits Division, told a legislative panel on Wednesday that his team plans to begin that audit quickly but will need to tread carefully because the Oregon Housing and Community Services Department is still processing applications for rental aid and sending money to landlords.
The department is also going through a change in leadership, as Director Margaret Salazar is starting a new job this month overseeing housing across the northwest for the Biden administration. Gov. Kate Brown has not yet named her replacement.
Memmott said the division added an audit of the Oregon Racing Commission in part because of a request from leaders of several recognized tribes. Casinos are only allowed on indigenous reservations, and tribal governments use money from gambling to pay for services.
However, horse race tracks can install historic horse racing machines, which closely resemble slot machines. The machines let users bet on the outcome of a randomly selected past horse race. The Oregon Racing Commission was considering approving 225 of these machines at a location in Grants Pass, sparking outcry from tribes who said that would effectively create an off-reservation casino.
Memmott said a letter from tribal leaders wasn’t the sole reason for choosing to audit the commission.
“The nature of gaming is expanding,” he said. “The technology, the access, the dollars involved have all changed and changed rapidly in recent years, and our office has not audited the racing commission for decades.”
Officials will also audit a program approved by voters in 2020 that uses taxes on marijuana to pay for addiction treatment, another voter-approved program that aims to increase high school graduation rates and how state government is changing the workplace post-pandemic.
- Oregon Capital Chronicle is a nonprofit Salem-based news service that focuses its reporting on Oregon state government, politics and policy.