PAR: State should sustain ‘watchdog’ Office of Inspector General

A commentary out today by the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana says Gov. Bobby Jindal made the right decision soon after taking office in 2008 when he strengthened the powers of the Office of Inspector General to give it greater independence, increase its focus on investigations as opposed to audits, and help provide reliable financial support. But now, with legislators poised to sharply cut the office’s budget—perhaps even to do away with it altogether—PAR says the state is making a mistake. Funding for the office beyond the end of the current fiscal year, June 30, has been eliminated from the state budget bill, which is still being debated. “This money should be restored,” PAR says. “The role and skills of the Inspector General’s office are especially valuable during tight budget times. The state needs a self-motivated watchdog agency to stop waste, mismanagement, abuse and fraud in executive-branch government.” The office operates on an annual appropriation from the state of roughly $1.7 million, PAR says, adding it has achieved “strong results” for “such a small office on a such a modest budget.” Various examples of the results are listed in the complete commentary, which you can read here.