Rep Nardone: 2026 H7590 - Proposes Office of Inspector General - House Finance (42926)
Representative George Nardone (R District 28 - Coventry) introduces bipartisan legislation (2026-H 7590) aimed at establishing an independent Office of the Inspector General in Rhode Island. The bill seeks to create a proactive government watchdog dedicated to identifying and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse of public funds across state, local, and federally funded programs.
Rather than creating an entirely new bureaucracy, this legislation proposes moving the existing Office of Internal Audit and Program Integrity under the authority of an independent Inspector General, requiring no new state funding. Rep. Nardone highlights that states operating with an Inspector General spend significantly less per capita and see a strong return on investment. The proposed office would have the authority to initiate independent investigations, issue subpoenas, and provide robust protections for whistleblowers, shifting Rhode Island's oversight model from reactive to proactive.
House Bill No. 7590
BY Nardone, Cotter, Tanzi, Edwards, Noret, Perez, Fascia, Paplauskas, Newberry, Shanley
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- INSPECTOR GENERAL (Establishes the office of inspector general as an independent administrative agency charged with the responsibility to investigate, detect, and prevent fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the expenditure of public funds.)
{LC4536/1}
» http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H7590.pdf
State Representative George A. Nardone
» https://www.rihousegop.org/deputynardone.html
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