GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 3
SENATE BILL 474
Regulatory Reform Committee Substitute Adopted 4/2/25
Third Edition Engrossed 4/8/25
Short Title: The DAVE Act. (Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
March 25, 2025
*S474 -v-3*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO ENACT THE DAVE ACT BY CREATING THE DIVISION OF 2
ACCOUNTABILITY, VALU E, AND EFFICIENCY WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF 3
STATE AUDITOR, DIREC TING EACH STATE AGEN CY TO REPORT TO THE 4
DIVISION ON ITS USE OF PUBLIC MONIES AND THE STATUS OF ITS VACANT 5
POSITIONS, AND DIRECTING THE DIVISION TO ASSESS THE CONTINUED NEED 6
OF EACH STATE AGENCY AND THE VACANT POSITIONS WITHIN EACH STATE 7
AGENCY. 8
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 9
SECTION 1. This act shall be known as "The Division of Accountability, Value, 10
and Efficiency (DAVE) Act." 11
SECTION 2. The State Auditor shall establish a Division of Accountability, Value, 12
and Efficiency (Division) within the Department of the State Auditor. The powers and duties of 13
the Division shall be to effectuate the assessment and recommendations required by this act, and 14
the State Auditor shall organize and administer the Division in such a manner as the State Auditor 15
may deem necessary to conduct the Division's work accordingly. 16
SECTION 3. No later than October 1, 2025, every State agency shall report to the 17
Division both of the following: 18
(1) An explanation of how the agency, including each division or office within 19
that agency, utilizes public monies to execute its powers and duties under law. 20
(2) A description of all positions within that agency that have remained vacant for 21
six months or more as of the effective date of this act. The description shall 22
include the original position vacancy dates, the dates of any postings or 23
repostings of the positions, and an explanation for the length of the vacancies. 24
SECTION 4. The Division shall assess the continued need for each State agency and 25
the vacant positions within each agency. The assessment shall be based on a review of the reports 26
submitted pursuant to Section 3 of this act and any other information the Division deems relevant. 27
In gathering and assessing relevant information, the Division may consult with the Joint 28
Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations. The Division may also employ 29
individuals to utilize artificial intelligence and other appropriate tools for the purpose of 30
examining any of the following with respect to State agencies and their budgets: 31
(1) Amounts spent, including the entities receiving funds and the intended 32
purpose of the amounts spent. 33
(2) The effectiveness of any amount spent in achieving the intended purpose of 34
that spending. 35 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 474-Third Edition
(3) Duplicative spending. 1
(4) Any other factor demonstrating the fiscal soundness or effectiveness of the 2
State agency or lack thereof. 3
SECTION 5. No later than December 31, 2025, the Division shall report the results 4
of the assessment conducted pursuant to Section 4 of this act to the General Assembly. The 5
Division's report shall include, at minimum, recommendations on both of the following: 6
(1) Any State agencies, or any divisions or offices within a State agency, that 7
should be dissolved based on the Division's assessment. 8
(2) Any State agency positions that should be eliminated based on the Division's 9
assessment. 10
SECTION 6. The Division, in its discretion, may annually require any or all State 11
agencies to submit a report with the information required by Section 3 of this act, and may 12
reassess such information on an annual basis in accordance with Section 4 of this act, and report 13
the results of the assessment to the General Assembly. 14
SECTION 7. This act is effective when it becomes law and expires December 31, 15
2028, at which time the Division shall terminate. 16