1. CREATING A VENUE OF ACCOUNTABILITY PRESENTED BY Rep. Tommy Stringer, Mr. Steve Blake, CPA, CFE

2. “... we might hope to see the finances of the Union as clear and intelligible as a merchant’s books, so that every member of Congress and every man of any mind in the Union should be able to comprehend them, to investigate abuses, and consequently to control them...” Thomas Jefferson

3. Budget Transparency With the advance of computer and internet technology, states now have the capacity to publish their yearly budgets on the internet. Since 2007 several states (including South Carolina) began implementing budget transparency legislation on an agency basis that established searchable online budget databases, online check registers, etc. The New Reality

4. Hyper Media Exposure News media outlets have real time access to data if questions arise concerning budgetary or spending problems. In addition, they can publish news reports far quicker than a public institution can respond. The New Reality

5. Major Headache Without Good Governance, Budget Transparency And Hyper Media Exposure Can Combine to Create A Financial, Political and Public Relations Nightmare. The New Reality

6. What Constitutes Good Governance? Governance Committee Conflict-of-interest Statements Comprehensive New-member Orientation Key Performance Indicator Dashboard Diversity “Best Practices”

7. Current Issues in Accountability COSO – Committee of Sponsoring Organizations. –Defines internal control in five specific areas. –Is now “Best Practices.” IRS governance issues. Sarbanes-Oxley is now “Best Practices.”

8. Board Culture The shared values and beliefs that delineate acceptable behavior.

9. Strategic Thinking Critical Reasoning Applied to What Matters Most to the Organization’s Future Performance and Viability