DOVER, DE - A new piece of legislation that would establish the independent Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has unanimously passed the Delaware State Senate.
Senate Bill 4, passed in the Senate on May 22 by both sides of the aisle, would create the new OIG as a non-partisan agency tasked with investigating and preventing fraud, mismanagement, corruption, and various other ethical and financial abuses.
“Public servants have a fundamental responsibility to act as careful stewards of taxpayer dollars,” said Delaware Senator Laura Sturgeon. “Delaware residents deserve transparency, and this bill ensures that State operations are conducted with the highest degree of integrity and precision.”
According to lawmakers, the OIG will be subject to the following:
-Working in tandem with other investigative and law-enforcement agencies, including the Attorney General and the Auditor of Accounts.
-Recommending corrective actions and statutory revisions when possible.
-Making referrals to other law-enforcement agencies when necessary.
-Providing reports to the Governor, Attorney General, and General Assembly, and making reports available to the public on the OIG website.
The Inspector General will not be an elected position and three candidates will be chosen by a selection panel and submitted to the Governor for consideration. The Governor will then select a nominee from those three names for final confirmation from the Senate. The Inspector General will then serve one five-year term.
“We’re living through a moment in our nation’s history characterized by unprecedented partisan division,” Sturgeon said. “This bill is a major step forward in putting politics aside and building trust between elected officials and constituents. I’d like to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for coming together in support of increased transparency and accountability throughout the state we are privileged to represent.”
SB 4 will now go on for consideration in the Delaware House of Representatives.