Office of the Transportation Inspector General.

Existing law creates various state transportation agencies, including the Department of Transportation and the High-Speed Rail Authority, with specified powers and duties. Existing law provides for the allocation of state transportation funds, including fuel tax revenues allocated from the Highway Users Tax Account, to various transportation purposes. Existing law provides funding for transportation capital improvement projects undertaken by the department or regional or local transportation agencies. This bill would create the Office of the Transportation Inspector General in state government as an independent office that would not be a subdivision of any other government entity, to ensure that all state, regional, and local agencies expending state transportation funds are operating efficiently, effectively, and in compliance with federal and state laws. The bill would provide for the Governor to appoint the Inspector General for a 6-year term, subject to confirmation by the Senate, and would provide that the Transportation Inspector General may not be removed from office during the term except for good cause. The bill would specify certain duties and responsibilities of the Transportation Inspector General, would require an annual report to the Legislature and Governor, and would provide for funding the office, to the extent possible, from federal transportation funds, with other necessary funding to be made available in proportion to the activities of the office from the Highway Users Tax Account and an account from which high-speed rail activities may be funded.