§155. Budget officer; qualifications; duties

A. The board shall employ a budget officer who shall meet the following qualifications:

(1) Meet the qualifications provided for in R.S. 15:150(B).

(2) Have expertise in matters of finance which shall, include at a minimum, possession of either a master's degree in economics, accounting, business administration, public administration, or finance from an accredited business school, or a bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or administration with five years of progressively responsible experience in general accounting, general finance, or auditing, and have a comprehensive knowledge of the principles and practices of corporate finance.

B. The budget officer shall:

(1) Prepare and submit to the board for its approval the budget of the board.

(2) Pay the expenses of the board.

(3) Be responsible for accounting and budget control, procurement and contract management, data processing, management and program analysis, personnel management, and grants management for the board.

(4) Develop and make available to the board such fiscal information as will assist the board in evaluating the delivery of public defender services throughout the state with the view of pointing out unnecessary programs, projects, and functions, calling attention to inefficient and uneconomical practices, monitoring, reviewing, and analyzing the performance of the districts and service regions, where applicable, making recommendations for improvement, and carrying out other similar functions.

(5) Continuously review existing and proposed programs and budgets of the board and service regions, where applicable, and the districts.

(6) Conduct other studies and perform other duties which may be of assistance in directing the financial affairs of the board.

(7) Make continuous short- and long-range studies of projected revenues and expenditures of the board.

(8) Evaluate legislative proposals for fiscal effect on the delivery of public defender services and report the findings of those evaluations to the state public defender and the board.

(9) Report to the legislature annually with respect to the activities of the board and at such other times as the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget or the legislative fiscal officer deems appropriate.

(10) Develop and maintain a comprehensive information system on the receipt of revenues by the board, the service regions, where applicable, and the districts from local, state, and federal sources, as well as the expenditure of these revenues, and to submit a summary of this information annually to the legislature.

(11) Prepare as of June first of each year an estimate of unexpended balances in every account in his custody and submit a copy thereof to the governor, the legislative auditor, and the legislative fiscal officer.

(12) Provide administrative staff support to the board.

(13) Assist each district public defender and regional director, where applicable, with the preparation of monthly and annual financial reporting requirements, budget preparation, and development of a uniform method of accounting for all expenditures of the district including but not limited to the salaries, contracts, acquisition of equipment, and supplies.

(14) Perform all other duties assigned by the state public defender or the board.

Acts 2007, No. 307, §1.