Audit questions money moved from Missouri child abuse fund

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A state audit released Tuesday questions the legality of $36,000 transferred from a state child abuse awareness fund into other state accounts in 2006 and 2007.

The audit examines only transfers from the Children's Trust Fund, but the state auditor's office plans to examine how money from other dedicated funds is dispersed within state government.

Lawmakers created the Children's Trust Fund in 1983 to prevent and alleviate child abuse and neglect.

In each of the past two years, the fund brought in about $3.2 million from dedicated fees tacked onto marriage licenses and vital records, contributions through income tax return checkoffs, sales of a specialty license plate and other donations.

Under state law, the Department of Revenue and the Office of Administration can be reimbursed by the trust fund for things such as collecting donations and other management functions.

But according to the audit, money from the Children's Trust Fund also went into the budgets of the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor, state treasurer, attorney general, General Assembly and Capitol Police.

According to the audit, nearly $38,000 annually was transferred from the fund to other state accounts in 2006 and 2007. Of that, $19,040 went to entities other than the Revenue Department or Office of Administration in 2007, and $17,377 went to other areas of government in 2006.

Auditors said they couldn't find any legal authority for money from the fund to be used that way.

Responding to the audit's findings, the Children's Trust Fund reported that the Office of Administration corrected the wrongful transfers for the current year.