Standing Committees Focused on Oversight

House Committee on Accountability, Efficiency, and Transparency #

Committees do not have individual websites. Membership is available on the Committee Listing page.

Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) #

Website #

Membership, review process, and publications available on website.

Purpose/Jurisdiction #

“PEER provides the Legislature with timely and accurate information on Mississippi state government in order to enable that body to perform its function of legislative oversight. PEER analyzes state agency programs and operations and helps the Legislature make state government more effective, efficient and accountable” (committee website).

“The committee shall have the following powers:

“(a) To conduct, in any manner and at any time deemed appropriate, a performance evaluation of all agencies. It may examine or investigate the budget, files, financial statements, records, documents or other papers of the agency deemed necessary by the committee.
“(b) To conduct, in any manner and at any time deemed appropriate, a review of the budget, files, financial statements, records, documents or other papers, as deemed necessary by the committee, of any agency; to make selected review of any funds expended and programs previously projected by such agency; to investigate any and all salaries, fees, obligations, loans, contracts, or other agreements or other fiscal function or activity of any official or employee thereof (including independent contractors where necessary); and to do any and all things necessary and incidental to the purposes specifically set forth in this section.
“(c) To conduct an investigation of all agencies which are in whole or in part operated or supported by any appropriation or grant of state funds, or which are in whole or in part supported or operated by any funds derived from any state-wide tax, license fee, or permit fee or which collects or administers any state-wide tax, license fee, or permit fee by whatever name called; such committee shall also have full and complete authority to investigate all laws administered and enforced by any such offices, departments, agencies, institutions and instrumentalities, and the manner and method of the administration and enforcement of such laws; to investigate any evasion of any state-wide tax, privilege fee or license fee; to investigate all disbursements of public funds by any office, agency, department, institution or instrumentality specified herein; to study the present laws relative to such agencies, offices, departments, institutions and instrumentalities, and the laws providing for the levying or imposition and collection of any state tax, privilege fee or license fee; to make recommendations to the legislature as to the correction of any imperfections, inequalities or injustices found to exist in any of such laws, and to do any and all things necessary and incidental to the purposes herein specifically set forth. Provided further that the committee shall upon petition by one-half the elected membership of either the Senate or House of Representatives perform a complete investigation and audit of any agency, entity or group subject to investigation or audit by passage of Sections 5-3-51 through 5-3-69.
“(d) The committee, in its discretion, if it determines that such action is necessary to carry out the responsibilities of Sections 5-3-51 through 5-3-69, may employ an attorney or attorneys to file or assist the attorney general’s office in filing actions for the recovery of any funds discovered to have been misused or misappropriated and to prosecute or assist in prosecution of criminal violations, if any, revealed or discovered in the discharging of their duties and responsibilities” (Miss. Code Ann. § 5-3-57).

“The committee, while in the discharge of official duties, shall have the following additional powers:

“(a) To subpoena and examine witnesses; to require the appearance of any person and the production of any paper or document; to order the appearance of any person for the purpose of producing any paper or document; and to issue all process necessary to compel such appearance or production. When such process has been served, the committee may compel obedience thereto by the attachment of the person, papers or records subpoenaed; and if any person shall wilfully refuse to appear before such committee or to produce any paper or record in obedience to any process issued by the committee and served on that person, he shall be guilty of contempt of the legislature and shall be prosecuted and punished as provided by law.
“(b) To administer oaths to witnesses appearing before the committee when, by a majority vote, the committee deems the administration of an oath necessary and advisable as provided by law.
“(c) To determine that a witness has perjured himself by testifying falsely before the committee, and to institute penal proceedings as provided by law” (Miss. Code Ann. § 5-3-59).