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Advocates urge Senate committee to back bill creating independent inspector general
Summary
Public commenters and advocacy groups told the Senate Executive Committee to approve SB 4 to create an independent, nonpartisan office of inspector general and to adopt SA 1 to coordinate audits with the state auditor; no committee vote was recorded during the hearing.
Advocates for government oversight and civic organizations urged the Delaware Senate Executive Committee to advance SB 4, a bill to create an independent, nonpartisan office of inspector general, during public comment at a committee hearing.
On behalf of AARP’s roughly 190,000 Delaware members, Jerry Grant, a volunteer for AARP, told the committee, "we ask you to vote yes on SB 4" and described the measure as a way to "deter and detect fraud, waste, and [abuse] and to improve the integrity of policy making in our state." He asked legislators to vote yes on the bill.
The call to act came from multiple advocacy groups. Lynn Gilhorn of the Tide Shift Justice Project said, "The Tide Shift Justice Project believes that the creation of the office of inspector general should not wait any longer," and urged committee members to move the bill forward despite budget constraints. Jack Young, representing the League of Women Voters of Delaware, said the League "fully support[s] passage of SB 4 and SA 1," and said SA 1 would coordinate audits between the inspector general and the state auditor to avoid duplication and increase efficiency.
The testimony highlighted two recurring points: supporters framed SB 4 as a safeguard for taxpayer dollars and urged the committee to avoid duplicative oversight, while at least one committee member raised concerns about the broader fiscal context for service providers. Senator Townsend applauded the sponsor, Senator Sturgeon, for pursuing the legislation and noted that "six of the seven members of the executive committee are co‑sponsors," adding that the committee should also address chronic underfunding of nonprofit service providers who deliver state-contracted services.
Committee members did not record a formal vote on SB 4 during the portion of the meeting reflected in the transcript. Commenters asked the committee to move the bill out of committee and urged lawmakers to continue shepherding it through the General Assembly. The chair then closed public comment and called for adjournment.
The hearing transcript contains public comment urging passage of SB 4 and support for SA 1 to coordinate audits; it does not record a committee vote or a floor action on the bill in the excerpt available.
