Sen. Libby appointed to Legislature’s government watchdog committee

AUGUSTA — Sen. Nate Libby of Lewiston, who serves as the Assistant Senate Democratic Leader, has been appointed by the Senate President to the Government Oversight Committee, or GOC, the Legislature’s watchdog committee charged with oversight of independent, objective reviews of State spending, programs and activities.

Sen. Nate Libby, D-Lewiston.

“The Government Oversight Committee is critically important in safeguarding the integrity and efficiency of state government,” said Sen. Libby, who is serving on the committee for the first time after serving two terms on the Taxation Committee and one term on the State and Local Government Committee.

“Over the past several years, we’ve seen the importance of the committee’s work: It led an investigation into the Maine Turnpike Authority that resulted in jail time for a former state official who stole hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars. The GOC uncovered significant fraud at the Maine Center for Disease Control in the well-publicized document shredding case. More recently, it conducted a clarifying review of Gov. Paul LePage’s use of executive authority and has begun a multi-year investigation into Maine’s various business tax breaks and their efficacy. I’m honored to take a seat on this committee, and eager to get to work,” Sen. Libby said.

The Government Oversight Committee oversees the Legislature’s Office of Program Evaluation of Government Accountability, or OPEGA. Put simply, OPEGA reviews state government activity to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent appropriately and the executive branch is operating under the law. It conducts objective, independent performance audits of state government programs and activities to ensure they are achieving intended results and are efficient, effective and economical. GOC and OPEGA also have jurisdiction over non-state entities that receive state funds or are established to perform government functions, such as the Maine Turnpike Authority and the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority.

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