Senate President Nicholas Scutari on Wednesday unveiled sweeping legislation to restore and expand the powers of the State Commission of Investigation, reviving a state inspector general’s office and consolidating investigative authority under one roof.
The bill would transfer the Office of the State Comptroller’s investigatory functions to the SCI, effectively returning the commission to its original 1968 mission: long-form probes into corruption, fraud, waste, and organized criminal activity. The comptroller would retain its auditing and Medicaid-fraud units, but its investigations arm — the smallest in the agency — would be absorbed by the SCI.
Attorney General Matt Platkin accused the Senate of “killing a watchdog that stops wasteful spending, giving politically powerful individuals broad powers to intimidate law enforcement fighting corruption, and even letting them tap phones.”
Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill said she was “opposed to efforts that weaken essential accountability and oversight, including with our watchdog agencies that root out government corruption, waste, and abuse.”
But she said she “would not weigh in on pending legislation as it changes, is amended, and moves through the legislature.”
“I know from both my service in the Navy and as a federal prosecutor that strong accountability and oversight are essential to ensuring good governance and public trust,” she said. “The people of New Jersey deserve nothing less – and that’s what my administration will deliver.”
Platkin and U.S. Senator Andy Kim said they will testify against the bill at a public hearing on Monday.
“This legislation that would weaken oversight and accountability is the wrong direction for New Jersey,” Kim said.
Scutari framed the proposal as a modernization effort to eliminate duplication, strengthen accountability, and revive an institution that has historically served as the state’s premier independent watchdog.
“We are not removing any of the statutory functions of the comptroller but reallocating them within an agency whose core expertise is long-form investigations into fraud and public corruption,” said Scutari. “This reform will reaffirm the SCI’s primary mission… and create a more effective system for identifying fraud and abuse across government.”
The legislation would also elevate the SCI’s executive director to serve as New Jersey’s inspector general — a structural change that echoes recommendations from the Forsythe Committee, the blue-ribbon panel that originally drove the SCI’s creation. Bruce Keller, a former federal prosecutor who now leads the commission, would oversee a staff already stacked with ex-prosecutors and seasoned investigators.
“The SCI has a responsibility to be thorough and objective, without showing any favor or disfavor,” Scutari stated. “This is in stark contrast to the politicization of investigations occurring in Washington.”
The move would end the tenure of acting State Comptroller Kevin Walsh.
