Republicans tend to want to create less government, not more. So it’s a little unusual for State Auditor Shad White to be advocating for the establishment of another oversight entity in Mississippi.
Still, his idea of an inspector general to catch the likely misspending before it happens is a good one. Nor is it new.
Former Gov. Kirk Fordice created the position under his office in the early 1990s, but it never got implemented because the Legislature declined to fund it. White is asking lawmakers to revisit the idea.
As proposed, the inspector general would work with other executive branch agencies to implement cost-savings programs, craft internal controls to prevent fraud and to monitor government programs. The inspector general also could be another avenue for lodging complaints about illegal activity.
White says that his office doesn’t get involved until after misspending or fraud happens. The inspector general could prevent them from occurring in the first place.
The idea is worth considering.
