The Idaho state controller is one of seven statewide elected constitutional officers in the executive branch of Idaho state government and serves a four-year term. In 1994, a constitutional amendment passed by Idaho voters changed the name of the state auditor to state controller. This amendment granted the state controller the authority to establish statewide internal pre-audit accounting controls to assure state funds are spent properly. The amendment transferred post-audit functions to the Legislative Services Office enabling separation of accounting and after-the-fact auditing operations. The state controller is the chief fiscal officer of the state of Idaho, responsible for: Maintaining all accounting and financial records Paying all the state’s bills and employees Preparing the state’s annual financial report Operating the state’s Computer Service Center To accomplish these tasks, the State Controller’s Office is divided into three operating divisions: Division of Statewide Accounting Responsible for generating state warrants, which are used like checks to pay state employees and other state business obligations Maintains the state’s accounting system (STARS) and preparing its statewide financial reports Implements statewide accounting standards, which conform to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) Division of Computer Services Operates the state’s largest mainframe computer Provides technical data processing support to state agencies Division of Statewide Payroll Pays and keeps payroll records for approximately 26,000 state employees Conducts payroll training conferences for government employees