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Help Rep. Richardson Fight Government Fraud and Waste Citizens are encouraged to report government waste by calling a special "hotline" at the Secretary of State's Office. The tips are recorded and potentially investigated by the state Audits Division.
Since the hotline's establishment in 1995, citizens have been responsible for saving millions of taxpayer dollars. For example, one tip led to the review of contracting procedures in the Department of Human Services. An audit found improperly-awarded contracts and unauthorized payments totaling $2.3 million. The hotline number is 1-800-336-8218, tips can also be e-mailed to Audits.Hotline@state.or.us Most tips come from outside the government. Last year, 208 calls were made by citizens while 44 were from state employees. According to the Secretary of State, the hotline was authorized by the state legislature in 1995 to provide public employees and citizens an avenue for reporting waste, inefficiency, or abuse in state programs. The law provides confidentiality for any person making a report through the hotline. Furthermore, the report and any resulting investigation remains confidential unless it is substantiated. Upon completion of an investigation that does substantiate a caller's report, the division is required to prepare a written report, which becomes a public record. The division's report, in accordance with the confidentiality provision, does not include the caller's identity.
"This hotline allows citizens to be actively involved in making government accountable."
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