A bipartisan bill to create an Office of Inspector General (OIG) for state government drew questions in committee this week about scope and overlap with existing oversight bodies and now moves to the judiciary committee for further review.

Proponents described the office as more than a fraud investigator—an entity that would build “a culture of accountability and proactive oversight.” One sponsor told the committee the OIG should be independent from other executive functions because “those functions of government are going to be under scrutiny.”

Committee members asked that statutory terms be tightly defined to avoid overlapping responsibilities with the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA), which historically conducts system-level audits and pattern reviews. “I think each term has to be really in really clearly defined to make sure we don't cross and degrade the responsibilities between those two important entities,” a committee member said during the hearing.

There were also questions about whether the OIG would have authority to pursue criminal prosecutions; the hearing record shows the bill will be considered further by the judiciary committee. The OIG, if established by law, would be appointed by Jan. 1, 2026, according to committee discussion.