Bill
H 3485
Expands State Auditor oversight to require annual audits for counties, municipalities, judicial offices, and school districts, centralizing and increasing audit workload.
Bill number: H 3485
Title (as provided): School district audits
Status: Referred to Committee on Judiciary (also referred to Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy per some entries)
Introduced: February 27, 2025 (prefiled Dec 5, 2024 in some records)
Note on source materials
- The submitted materials contain conflicting/combined texts. One set is a Massachusetts House docket (House No. 3485 / House Docket No. 394) whose bill language amends towing statutes (“tow lien reform”). Another included text is a South Carolina draft amending the State Auditor’s authority to require annual audits of counties, municipalities, judicial offices and school districts. Because the packet mixes two different topics and jurisdictions, this summary separates and summarizes both texts and highlights the conflict.
Purpose
- Narrowly amends state towing/vehicle-removal related statutes to clarify coverage of involuntary tows and removals from private ways or property.
Key provisions
- Amends Section 6B of chapter 159B (General Laws) to add language that explicitly includes vehicles “removed from a private way or property pursuant to section 120D of chapter 266.”
- Further amends the same section to reference removals “pursuant to removal from a private way or property.”
- Amends Section 39A of chapter 255 by replacing the phrase “removed from the scene of an accident” with “involuntarily towed or transported pursuant to section 6B of chapter 159B.”
Who is affected
- Towing companies and operators, vehicle owners whose vehicles are towed from private ways or private property, private property owners, and municipal enforcement/authority entities that rely on these towing and lien statutes.
Impact
- Clarifies statutory scope so that involuntary tows from private ways/property are explicitly covered by existing tow-lien/removal rules. Likely affects application of lien, notice, and procedural obligations for involuntary tows.
Purpose
- Expand the State Auditor’s annual audit mandate to explicitly include counties, county agencies/offices, municipalities, municipal agencies/offices, judicial offices, and school districts; repeal statutes that previously governed separate county/municipal/school audit requirements.
Key provisions
- Amends S.C. Code §11-7-20(A) to state that state agencies, counties, municipalities, judicial offices, school districts and other publicly funded entities are subject to audit and, to the extent practicable, shall be audited annually.
- Repeals S.C. Code sections 4-9-150 (county audits), 5-7-240 (municipal audits), 59-17-100 (school district audit reports), and 11-7-25 (period audits of certain county and municipal offices).
- Effective upon gubernatorial approval (per SC draft).
Who is affected
- County and municipal governments, school districts, judicial offices, county/municipal agencies and offices, and the State Auditor’s office (expanded audit workload).
Impact
- Centralizes and regularizes audit oversight under the State Auditor with an annual audit expectation; potential increases in audit workload and costs, and likely changes in reporting/compliance requirements for local governments and school districts.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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