Last week, InsiderAdvantage was one of the first to report that the Office of the State Inspector General had issued a report documenting the expenditure of over $1.1 million over 15 months for employee lunches by the Georgia Department of Labor (DOL). The following day, Georgia Senators began demanding answers from Labor Commissioner Mark Butler.
The Georgia Senate Republican Caucus demanded “accountability for reported malfeasance at the Georgia Department of Labor.” At the same time, all but four Georgia Senators signed a letter that was sent to Butler demanding, in writing, a timeline of his plans to open the state’s career centers.
The State Inspector General’s report says the $1.1 million expenditures were documented in an audit conducted by the Department of Administrative Services. It says that the lunch purchases took place between March 20, 2020 through June 11, 2021 when DOAS suspended DOL’s ability to buy meals using a purchasing card (p-card) and “forcing an end to the practice over DOL’s objections.” The report claims DOL spent a total of $1,112,802 in the 15-month period.
“Yesterday we received a report from the State Inspector General that called into question the expenditure of over $1.1 million of taxpayer money for questionable purchases,” said Georgia Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan. “I found the report extremely troubling and, on behalf of the Senate Republicans, am insisting that Commissioner Butler explain his actions to the General Assembly about not only the purchases but also the potential constitutional, statutory, and regulatory violations outlined in the report in writing immediately.
“I understand the intense pressure that Commissioner Butler and his employees have been under during this pandemic period but apparent mistakes of this magnitude, regardless of intentions, demand accountability.”
The statement by the Senate Republican Caucus says the OIG report will be publicly available in 10 days from the initial date the report was produced — October 4, 2021.
Labor Commissioner Mark Butler told InsiderAdvantage that he vigorously disagrees with the report and said he will be filing a response with the Governor’s Office.
Also, on October 4, a bipartisan group of State Senators sent a letter to Butler regarding the re-opening of all the career centers across the state. They referred to unemployment rates being down to pre-pandemic levels, COVID cases dropping, and vaccinations widely available.
The letter says, “The State of Georgia continues to invest resources in having physical locations where Georgia citizens can get help finding jobs. Though online resources have been vital during the pandemic, digital divide is well documented, and many Georgians still have inadequate access to broadband connectivity or lack the technical skills to navigate online-only formats. For these Georgians, we believe opening the career centers to the public is a vital component of addressing our current labor shortages.”
The letter ended with the Senators demanding for a timeline for the re-opening in writing and was signed by 52 of 56 state Senators.
According to the OIG report, the Office of Planning and Budget (OPB) “confirmed that approximately $567,000 came from the DOL’s annual state funds appropriation.” It goes on to say that $519,000 originated from a federal grant provided every year by the U.S. Department of Labor with the primary objective of providing compensation to eligible unemployed workers.”
Butler doesn’t deny purchasing the meals, and emphatically stresses that the department asked DOAS about using the funds for the meal purchases prior to doing so.
