Bill > S2023

This bill establishes the Office of Inspector General as an independent administrative agency tasked with investigating, detecting, and preventing fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the spending of public funds, including federal, state, and local money used in state programs, operations, and procurement of goods and services. The Inspector General, appointed for a single five-year term by a broad coalition of state officials and requiring demonstrated expertise in areas like accounting, law, and criminal justice, will oversee a staff appointed by them and will have broad powers to access records, issue subpoenas for documents and testimony, and coordinate with other agencies. The office will also maintain an anonymous system for public reporting of potential wrongdoings and will report its findings and recommendations annually to various state officials and the public, while also referring criminal violations to the Attorney General or U.S. Attorney and potentially initiating civil recovery actions with the Attorney General's authorization.

Budget and Finance

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