Connecticut SB 462: AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT.

Bill Text

LCO 2841 
 
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General Assembly  
Raised Bill No. 462  
February Session, 2026 
 
LCO No. 2841 
 
 
Referred to Committee on GOVERNMENT 
ADMINISTRATION AND ELECTIONS  
 
 
Introduced by:  
(GAE)  
 
 
 
AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT 
OVERSIGHT.  
Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  in  General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section  1.  (NEW)  (Effective  October  1,  2026)  (a)  For  purposes  of  this 1 
section and sections 2 to 4, inclusive, of this act, "governmental agency" 2 
means  a  state  agency  or  a  quasi-public  agency,  "state  agency"  and 3 
"quasi-public agency" have the same meanings as provided in section 1-4 
79 of the general statutes and "executive director" means the executive 5 
director of the Office of Government Oversight. 6 
(b) There is established an Office of Government Oversight that shall 7 
act to detect and prevent fraud, waste and abuse in the management of 8 
state personnel, in the use and disposition of state property and in the 9 
collection,  disbursement  and  expenditure  of  state  and  federal  funds 10 
administered  by  governmental  agencies.  The  Office  of  Government 11 
Oversight shall also evaluate the economy, efficiency and effectiveness 12 
of governmental agencies in the performance of their delegated duties 13 
and functions and of private entities that contract with such agencies to 14 

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provide government services. 15 
(c)  The  office  shall  be  under  the  direction  of  an  executive  director, 16 
who   shall   be   appointed   by   the   Auditors   of   Public   Accounts   in 17 
accordance with this subsection, with the advice and consent of either 18 
house of the General Assembly. A committee consisting of the president 19 
pro tempore of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, 20 
the minority leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives and 21 
the chairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing committee 22 
of  the  General  Assembly  having  cognizance  of  matters  relating  to 23 
government  administration  shall  submit  to  the  Auditors  of  Public 24 
Accounts the names of three candidates for appointment to the position 25 
of executive director. Not later than ninety days after the receipt of the 26 
names  from  the  committee,  the  Auditors  of  Public  Accounts  shall 27 
appoint one of such candidates to be executive director and shall submit 28 
such  nomination  to  either  house  of  the  General  Assembly  to  undergo 29 
the confirmation process set forth in section 4-7 of the general statutes. 30 
If  the  auditors  fail  to  make  such  appointment  within  such  ninety-day 31 
period,  the  committee  by  majority  vote  shall  make  such  appointment 32 
and  submit  such  nomination  to  either  house  of  the  General  Assembly 33 
for confirmation. The executive director shall be appointed on the basis 34 
of  integrity  and  competence  demonstrated  in  appropriate  fields.  The 35 
executive director shall hold office for a term of five years and until the 36 
appointment  of  a  successor,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  original 37 
appointment, unless sooner removed for just cause by the Auditors of 38 
Public Accounts. Such cause may include, but not be limited to, material 39 
neglect of duty, gross misconduct or conviction of a felony. 40 
(d)  The  Office  of  Government  Oversight  shall  be  an  independent 41 
office   and   shall   be   within   the   Joint   Committee   on   Legislative 42 
Management for administrative purposes only. 43 
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) The executive director shall 44 
establish, within available appropriations, a system for the coordination 45 
of  efforts  between  the  Office  of  Government  Oversight  and  officials 46 
performing  similar  duties  and  internal  auditing  functions  within  the 47 

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various  governmental  agencies.  Such  system  may  include  continuing 48 
training   programs   for   professional   development,   the   adoption   of 49 
standard   guidelines   and   procedures   and   the   organization   of   a 50 
communications network within the system. The internal auditors and 51 
support staff within the agencies shall remain assigned to such agencies 52 
but  shall  have  their  annual  internal  audit  program  approved  by  the 53 
executive director. 54 
(b) The executive director may adopt regulations, in accordance with 55 
chapter  54  of  the  general  statutes,  to  implement  the  provisions  of 56 
sections 1 to 4, inclusive, of this act. The executive director may employ 57 
necessary staff, within available appropriations. 58 
Sec.  3.  (NEW)  (Effective  October  1,  2026)  (a)  The  executive  director 59 
shall: (1) Conduct preemptive inspections, inquiries and investigations 60 
relating    to    programs    and    ope