Phil Leone Retires

After 36 years of service, Phil Leone retires as JLARC Director.

Phil Leone retired as Director of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission on September 1, 2010, after 36 years with the Commission. He joined the JLARC staff in 1974 as a Senior Analyst and was appointed Director in 1986. As Director, Leone led and directed a staff of 37 who are trained in a variety of research disciplines. JLARC has an annual budget of $3.2 million.

JLARC Accomplishments

During Leone’s tenure as Director, the Commission released 320 reports covering a variety of State programs and operations. These studies have recommended over $457 million in cost savings for State agencies and many significant improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of agency operations. In recent years, agencies reported implementing 60 percent of JLARC report recommendations. Among the many substantial impacts of JLARC staff research have been the following actions by the Commission and General Assembly:

  • The Commission supported the enactment of Virginia’s Set-Off Debt Collection Act passed in 1983 as a result of a JLARC report prepared by Leone on the extent of agency delinquent accounts. Hundreds of million of dollars have been recovered from delinquent accounts since the enactment of the law.
  • In 1992 the Commission supported the creation of a “rainy day” fund based on a staff study. This resulted in the 1993 Constitutional amendment creating Virginia’s revenue stabilization fund.
  • After a critical JLARC review of the Virginia Retirement System, the 1994 General Assembly approved the Virginia Retirement System Oversight Act, which directs the Commission to oversee VRS on a continuing basis.
  • In 2010,consistent with recommendations of a JLARC study, the General Assembly enacted legislation resulting in sweeping changes to Virginia’s public-private IT partnership with Northrop Grumman Corporation.
  • A 2009 JLARC report of State employee health and retirement benefits resulted in a major restructuring of retirement benefits. The 2010 General Assembly passed legislation to establish a retirement plan for new employees effective July 1, 2010. The plan’s benefits will result in significant savings for the Commonwealth in the future.
  • In recent years, the General Assembly has assigned additional statutory responsibilities to JLARC to perform fiscal analyses of proposed legislation and health insurance mandates.

JLARC Recognition and Awards

JLARC has been recognized frequently for its work in performance auditing and program evaluation.

  • A May1994 article in State Legislatures magazine titled “Virginia’s JLARC: A Standard of Excellence” cited the Commission for being “one of the oldest and most successful legislative oversight groups in the nation.”
  • The Legislative Program Evaluation Society of the National Conference of State Legislatures has recognized JLARC on several occasions for excellence in program evaluation, research design and methodology, and legislative impact of reports.
  • The Government Performance Project, supported by the Pew Foundation, a non-partisan group dedicated to public policy research, has consistently given Virginia the highest grades nationally in state management. JLARC has been prominently mentioned in the ratings as a contributing factor to the Commonwealth’s ranking.

Professional Involvement

During his public service career with the Commission, Leone has been a member of several professional organizations. He was a member and past chair of the Executive Committee of the Legislative Program Evaluation Society and a member of the Executive Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures. In 1997, Leone served on the Advisory Council on Government Auditing Standards of the United States Government Accountability Office. He was a member of Virginia’s Debt Capacity Advisory Committee. He has served on the Virginia Tech Advisory Council for the College of Architecture and Urban Studies and the College of William and Mary, Thomas Jefferson Public Policy Program. Leone is also a member of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, Excellence in Virginia Government Awards Steering Committee.