Indianapolis-On Thursday, July 19, 2001, beginning at 5:00 p.m. EST, Indiana Auditor of State Connie Nass will be a guest on "The Amos Brown Show". The live television broadcast is being held in conjunction with celebrations of the 31st Annual Indiana Black Expo at the Indianapolis Convention Center and RCA Dome. The show will be broadcast on WDNI-TV Channel 65 (Comcast subscribers: channel 99; Time-Warner: channel 20).

Prominent among the topics that will be discussed by Auditor Nass is the closing of the State's books. As part of the responsibility for maintaining the general ledger, the Auditor of State's office annually closes the financial records of the State. "The more-than-prudent government surplus that made up the State's financial cushion is now gone. After taking out the Rainy Day fund, tuition support, and Medicaid reserve, Indiana is virtually broke," stated Auditor Nass.

Auditor Nass also will talk about the latest edition of the Auditor of State's publication, "A Report to Indiana's Citizens on the State's Finances". Illustrated with charts and graphs, this report gives the citizens of Indiana a straightforward and accurate way to evaluate the State's finances. Also included in this edition is a chart explaining the flow of gambling revenue and a list of the funds that receive these distributions.

Connie Nass, a native of Huntingburg, Indiana, was elected Auditor of State in 1998. Her office is responsible for keeping the State's official financial records, paying the State's bills (including the wages of 40,000 state employees), and disbursing tax revenues to cities, towns, counties and schools.