The problem
North Carolina spends billions of public dollars every year. Too often, the public learns what that money bought only after headlines, lawsuits, or inspectors general arrive — if they arrive at all.
Taxpayers should not need a FOIA scavenger hunt to ask a basic question: did this spend do what leadership said it would?
What this policy does
The Accountability & Government Spending Act would require that any state expenditure over $1 million automatically set aside 3% for an independent, external audit.
- The audit is funded up front from the appropriation itself.
- It is performed by an auditor outside the agency writing the check.
- Findings are published in plain language on a public schedule.
- Material failures trigger a formal legislative response — not a press release and a shrug.
Why 3%
Three percent is large enough to buy a real examination, and small enough that it should not cripple a legitimate project. If a program cannot withstand independent review at that scale, that is information the General Assembly — and the public — need before the next dollar is spent.
What town halls are for
Each month this campaign publishes a proposal and takes it to the road. Bring the hard questions. Bring the local examples. The point of Building Policy in Public is that the draft gets better when Chatham County reads it first.
Model legislation
A draft bill skeleton is available for download. It is not final law; it is a starting text for argument, amendment, and sponsorship conversations.