Inspector General Financing Restored In Next Year’s Budget

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — An effort to eliminate the Louisiana inspector general's office has failed to win support in the House, amid concerns about scrapping a government watchdog agency in a state with a history of public corruption problems.

The inspector general (La.'s Inspector General is Stephen Street) investigates fraud and waste in government.

The House Appropriations Committee proposed to eliminate all financing for the inspector general in the budget year that begins July 1. The full House refused to support the move Thursday and restored most of the money.

Some lawmakers suggested the agency's duties overlap with work done by the attorney general and legislative auditor.

But others worried about the public perception of eliminating the agency.

Kenner Rep. Julie Stokes told her colleagues: "If we stand for good government, as we claim to, this isn't even a question."