Terms Used In Iowa Code > Chapter 11 - Auditor of State

• Affirmed: In the practice of the appellate courts, the decree or order is declared valid and will stand as rendered in the lower court.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Department: means any authority charged by law with official responsibility for the expenditure of public money of the state and any agency receiving money from the general revenues of the state. See Iowa Code 11.1
• Division: means the Iowa title guaranty division in the authority, the director of the division, or a designee of the director. See Iowa Code 16.92
• Embezzlement: In most states, embezzlement is defined as theft/larceny of assets (money or property) by a person in a position of trust or responsibility over those assets. Embezzlement typically occurs in the employment and corporate settings. ^{Source: OCC}
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Examination: means procedures that are less in scope than an audit but which are directed toward reviewing financial activities and compliance with legal requirements. See Iowa Code 11.1
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
• Governmental subdivision: means cities and administrative agencies established by cities, hospitals or health care facilities established by a city, counties, county hospitals organized under chapters 347 and 347A, memorial hospitals organized under chapter 37, entities organized under chapter 28E, community colleges, area education agencies, and school districts. See Iowa Code 11.1
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• person: means individual, corporation, limited liability company, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association, or any other legal entity. See Iowa Code 4.1
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• property: includes personal and real property. See Iowa Code 4.1
• public funds: means public funds as defined in section 12C. See Iowa Code 12B.10C
• state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• United States: includes all the states. See Iowa Code 4.1
• year: means twelve consecutive months. See Iowa Code 4.1