15. If the commissioner determines that any county agency administering public assistance or municipal welfare agency has failed to administer their respective programs in accordance with applicable State and federal laws and regulations, the commissioner shall have the authority to take the following action:

a. Take the necessary administrative and programmatic changes necessary to ensure compliance with State and federal law and regulation and bill the municipality or county for the reasonable expenses incurred by the department in ensuring compliance, withhold administrative costs and take such other interim actions, as deemed necessary and appropriate;

b. Hire any consultant or undertake any studies of the agency operations deemed appropriate;

c. Direct expenditures of the county agency administering public assistance or municipal welfare agency in a reasonable and prudent manner to effectuate the purposes of their respective programs, including reallocating funds within the county agency administering public assistance or municipal welfare agency budget and determine additional amounts of revenue needed to implement the programs within the agency’s budget;

d. Operate the county agency administering public assistance or municipal welfare agency, as deemed necessary and appropriate; and

e. Do all acts necessary or appropriate to ensure that the needs of eligible public assistance recipients are met pursuant to State and federal law.

L.1990,c.66,s.15; amended 1997, c.37, s.12.