PROVIDENCE – Citing a “string of high-profile failures” and cuts to federal programs, House Speaker Christopher R. Blazejewski on Thursday said he will be introducing legislation creating an Office of the Independent Inspector General. The office would have the authority to initiate investigations into state and quasi-state agencies, as well as municipal governments utilizing state
Already a Subscriber? Log in
To Continue Reading This Article
Become a Providence Business News subscriber and get immediate access to all of our premier content and much more.Learn More and Become a Subscriber
- Critical RI business news and analysis updated daily.
- 1 year of print (26 issues).
- Unlimited access to all subscriber only content on our website, on any device.
- Free email alerts.
- Annual Book of Lists Print Edition.
- All special issues produced during subscription term.
Click Here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article
PBN Branded Content
Inspiring the Next Generation of Scientists in Rhode Island
AP Biology students at Cumberland High School recently conducted a hands-on lab experiment using professional-grade…
Learn More
HOUSE SPEAKER Christopher R. Blazejewski said he and Majority Leader Katherine S. Kazarian are now putting “the finishing touches” on legislation creating an Office of the Independent Inspector General and plan to introduce it May 19. /COURTESY R.I. LEGISLATIVE OFFICE[/caption]
"The margin for error is far less than it has ever been before," he said.
Modeled after similar laws in several states, most notably South Carolina and Delaware, the inspector general short-list would be chosen by an independent advisory commission comprised of the R.I. secretary of state, attorney general, general treasurer, the ethics commission and a member of the Association of Inspector Generals, who would be tasked with providing three names to the governor, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
The inspector general would be limited to two, five-year terms and the office would accept complaints from the public, with whistleblower protections in place.
Seeking to make state government "more worthy of the public’s trust," Blazejewski said an inspector general's office "would provide an independent set of eyes, with real authority, that answers to the people."
"That is exactly what Rhode Island needs right now," he said.
While Smith Hill Republicans have been calling for an IG for decades, a 2024 poll of 1,450 likely Rhode Island voters conducted by the Pell Center at Salve Regina University found nearly 75% supported the idea, including 70% of Democrats.
From the Washington Bridge failure to more recent state payroll system errors, Blazejewski said "Mistakes are expensive, disruptive and sometimes dangerous.”
"None of these failures happened overnight," he said. "And all of these problems went unaddressed for far too long."
Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at