State Oversight Resources
We are a knowledge hub and resource center for state legislatures. Browse our state legislative oversight directories, articles, and Levin Center testimony here.
Directories
State Legislative Session Calendars — 50-state list compiled by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
- The Book of the States — key data on 50 states compiled annually by the Council of State Governments (CSG)
- Online directory for 50 state auditors, comptrollers & treasurers – compiled by the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT)
- Contracts with US State Governments — list of database links compiled by Society for Institutional & Organizational Economics.
- State reports analyzing tax expenditures — 50-state list compiled by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)
Articles and Reports
- 2023: The exchange of letters between U.S. House Committee and Manhattan DA on access to information about a local grand jury examining state law violations.
- 2022: Auditor of the State of California Report entitled “California Hospice Licensure and Oversight“
- 2021: Citizen’s Research Council of Michigan’s recent oversight report entitled “Imagining What Should Be: Robust Legislative Oversight in Michigan“
- 2021: Federal Dollars, States’ Recoveries: How Poorly Most States are Disclosing CARES Act Spending — 50-state report by nonprofit Good Jobs First on states’ online websites disclosing spending
- 2021 & ongoing: State and local government audit reports of pandemic-related programs and spending — compiled by the U.S. Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC)
- April 2021: Legislative Oversight of State Government Contracts (pdf) – Wayne State University Center for Urban Studies, report commissioned by the Levin Center
- Oct 2020: State Legislative Oversight of Emergency Contracts Related to COVID-19: Three Case Studies – Report issued by the Levin Center
- June 2020: We don’t review tax exemptions in Idaho. Could models in neighboring states work here? – Idaho Capital Sun
- 2020: Survey of State Procurement Practices (pdf) by the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO)
- 2019: Checks and Balances in Action: Legislative Oversight across the States (pdf) – Wayne State University Center for Urban Studies, report commissioned by the Levin Center
- Separation of Powers–Legislative Oversight (undated) – materials compiled by the National Conference of State Legislators
- 2019: Whistleblowing Policies in American States: A Nationwide Analysis (pdf) by Jonathan P. West and James S. Bowman
- 2017: California State Assembly Legislative Oversight Handbook (pdf) by Anthony Rendon, Speaker of the Assembly, and Ken Cooley, Chair, Assembly Committee on Rules
- 2005: New York State Assembly Guide to Legislative Oversight (pdf) by James F. Brennan, Chair, New York State Assembly Standing Committee On Oversight, Analysis and Investigation
Testimony
- January 2022: Testimony before the Michigan State Senate Oversight Committee about the Citizen’s Research Council of Michigan’s recent oversight report entitled “Imagining What Should Be: Robust Legislative Oversight in Michigan“
- October 2021: Testimony before the Nebraska unicameral State Legislature about the state’s capacity for oversight including recommendations for improvement.
- September 2021: Testimony before the Michigan State Senate Oversight Committee about the state’s capacity for oversight of government contracts.
- July 2021: Testimony before Pennsylvania House on Emergency Procurements (pdf) – Levin Center on best practices by state legislatures conducting contract oversight
- Jan 2020: Levin Center Testimony before the Michigan Senate Oversight Committee
Events, Webinars, Videos
- November 2022: Audit Recommendations for a Legislative Audience (online webinar co-sponsored by the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers)
- March 2022: Pandemic Response and Oversight: Data Transparency, Finding Facts, Lessons Learned (online webinar with the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee)
- October 2021: Asking Better Oversight Hearing Questions (online webinar)
- July 2021: The Delicate Balance of Legislative Oversight (National Council of Insurance Legislators panel discussion)
- May 2021: State Legislatures and the Pandemic: Conducting Oversight on Emergency Government Contracts (panel discussion)
- April 2021: Corrections and Re-Entry: Legislative and Community Efforts for a Successful Transition after Prison (panel discussion)
- November 2020: Strengthening the Role of Legislative Oversight (CSG West panel discussion)
- October 2019: Checks and Balances in Action: Best Practices for State Oversight Webinar
Example Bill Language
- Michigan Senate Joint Resolution (2022): Proposed an amendment to the state constitution that would create a permanent, bicameral, bipartisan, joint oversight committee in the Legislature.
- Nebraska Legislative Resolution 226 (2021): Established an interim study to examine how the Legislature holds state agencies accountable in the implementation of laws through oversight, and if oversight processes needed to be improved.
