Presented is a brief guest column submitted from Michael Wyland of Wyland & Sumption. Michael is a former State Chair of South Dakota Young Republicans (long before the YR’s went goofy and started donating money towards ‘alleged’ Black Nazi rallies):
Another suggestion for GOAC and how state government handles accountability
by Michael Wyland
I wrote an 8-page, double-spaced, letter to all legislators in about 2018 addressing the SD GEAR UP scandal and three possible fixes. My letter is available if anyone’s interested. The one-paragraph summary of my proposed solution is as follows:
“The solution to the problem is, quite simply, to restrict GOAC’s committee charter to financial oversight and investigation, as is its current practice and limitation based on statements by the Auditor General. Replicate GOAC’s structure and function in a new oversight and investigative function under the SD Legislature dedicated to program and management review of state government.”
South Dakota GEAR UP Scandal and Possible Solutions on Scribd
It is obvious that the state needs to find a better way to prevent and detect fraud. The current system does not work and band aids aren’t enough.
At the time I wrote this, I was advocating for accountability that pointed upwards in the hierarchy and inside the house — cabinet and sub-cabinet positions in the Executive Branch. Unfortunately, so-called “reforms” were focused exclusively “downward and outward” — outside contractors instead of those who were responsible for authorizing and supervising the programs covered under the contracts.