Thank you for your service to Maryland. I’m a CPA who started the nonpartisan organization Truth in Accounting (TIA) over 20 years ago with the sole mission to reveal governments’ true financial condition. TIA has analyzed Maryland’s audited Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports since 2009 and was recently engaged by local media outlets to review the state's audited financial statements. And because the Office of the Comptroller is a signatory to the accuracy and completeness of the data presented in those reports, we have questions we believe Maryland taxpayers deserve answered. Please respond by Tuesday, August 25 at noon.

Baltimore’s 2025 Single Audit points to a broader problem than any one accounting error or compliance issue. Across the city’s finances, auditors repeatedly found the same underlying weaknesses: late reviews of account balances, fragmented responsibilities across departments, weak monitoring, and internal controls that failed to catch problems before year-end. Those breakdowns affected everything from cash and grant reporting to utility billing and cybersecurity.

Truth in Accounting, a nonpartisan nonprofit that has analyzed government financial reports since 2002, today announced a joint effort with The Baltimore Sun and Sinclair Broadcast Group stations FOX45 in Baltimore and WJLA in Washington, D.C., including the Spotlight on Maryland investigative unit. The collaboration will examine Maryland’s finances from the State House to every county and Baltimore City over time, using governments’ own audited numbers, not campaign talking points.

Georgia’s 2025 statewide audit identified recurring weaknesses in financial reporting, accounting systems, cash reconciliations, information technology (IT) controls, and oversight across multiple agencies. While many errors were corrected before the state’s financial statements were finalized, auditors found repeated instances where the agencies’ internal controls failed to catch significant mistakes until the audit began.

Delaware’s 2025 Single Audit identified recurring problems across multiple state agencies, including weaknesses in financial reporting, payroll oversight, proper documentation, and federal reporting. While the report does not conclude that fraud occurred, it does show how missing records, late reviews, unsupported reports, and inconsistent internal controls can make it harder for the state to prove that taxpayer and federal dollars were managed properly.

Colorado's 2025 Single Audit identified 48 findings across state agencies, highlighting recurring weaknesses in financial reporting, cybersecurity, internal controls, and oversight of federal grant programs. While auditors noted that agencies had made progress in some areas, they also found that many longstanding problems remained unresolved.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed Illinois’ eighth consecutive “balanced” budget for FY2027, a record $55.9 billion plan (the largest in state history). He framed it as responsible, affordability-focused governance amid federal headwinds. This claim relies on misleading accounting gimmicks that obscure Illinois’ true fiscal picture. Here’s the full truth.

Alabama’s latest Single Audit Report reveals troubling issues in the state's management of federal funds. The report highlights weak oversight, sloppy record-keeping, and broken internal safeguards across several agencies, which impact millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded programs.

Ohio families are working harder than ever, paying their taxes, and expecting the state to handle federal money responsibly. But a new state audit has some troubling news: Ohio has serious problems managing billions in federal funds for healthcare, school meals, unemployment assistance, and energy assistance for low-income families.

Truth in Accounting’s Financial Transparency Score 2026 evaluates how effectively each state government discloses its true financial condition through audited financial reports.