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H 7822Ethics & Transparency

State Affairs and Government - Rhode Island Department of Transportation Forensic Audit Act

Mandates an independent forensic audit of the RI Department of Transportation to investigate finances, efficiency, and potential fraud by 2027.

Held for study
Population
Affected
35
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 26, 2026Committee House State Government & Elections

Plain-English Summary

This legislation mandates that the Rhode Island Attorney General commission an independent forensic audit of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT). The audit must be performed by a nationally accredited firm and will investigate the department's financial records, project delivery efficiency, asset management, and potential fraud or misconduct. The bill requires RIDOT to fully cooperate with the auditors. A final report is due by January 1, 2027, and will be made available to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the public via the RIDOT website. Funding is appropriated from the 2026-2027 budget.

For younger readers

This new law requires the state's top lawyer, the Attorney General, to hire a special team of experts to check up on the Department of Transportation (the group that fixes roads and bridges). These experts will look closely at how money is being spent to make sure there is no cheating or waste. They will also check if road projects are being done quickly and correctly. A report on what they find must be finished by 2027 and shared with the public. The state will set aside money to pay for this investigation.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
TaxpayersDepartment of Transportation employeesConstruction contractorsCommutersConsulting firms
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
$0.29
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Increases transparency and accountability within a major state agency, ensuring that public funds are used effectively and not lost to fraud or mismanagement.
  • Examines the department's workforce structure and ratio of in-house staff to consultants, potentially identifying over-reliance on privatization and supporting public sector employment.
  • Requires the audit results to be publicly available, empowering communities and advocates to demand better transportation services and infrastructure management.
  • Allocates significant funds to an administrative audit that could otherwise be used directly for social services or immediate infrastructure repairs in underserved communities.
  • Focuses heavily on financial efficiency and cost-cutting metrics, which could potentially lead to austerity measures or reduced services rather than expanded public transit access.
  • Consolidates oversight power within the Attorney General's office, which could be used for political maneuvering rather than genuine systemic reform depending on the officeholder.
For Conservatives
  • Promotes fiscal responsibility by aggressively rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse within a government department responsible for large expenditures.
  • Implements strict oversight on government bureaucracy, ensuring that the Department of Transportation is actually delivering results for the taxpayer money it consumes.
  • Utilizes private, nationally accredited firms for the audit rather than relying solely on internal government self-regulation, ensuring an unbiased look at state spending.
  • Authorizes additional government spending to pay for the audit, adding to the overall cost of government operations.
  • Creates additional administrative layers and bureaucracy that could potentially slow down the actual execution of road and bridge projects during the audit period.
  • Expands the reach and power of the Attorney General into the operations of executive branch agencies, potentially disrupting the separation of duties.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 48 additions

SECTION 1. Title 42 of the General Laws entitled "STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 42-13.2-1. Definitions. As used in this chapter:

(1) “Attorney general” means the Rhode Island attorney general.

(2) “Department” means the Rhode Island department of transportation

(3) “Forensic audit” means a specialized, in‑depth examination of an organization’s financial records and transactions to detect and document potential fraud, misconduct, or other financial irregularities conducted in accordance with this chapter. 42-13.2-2. Requirement to commission forensic audit.

(a) The attorney general shall commission an independent forensic audit of the department within thirty (30) days following the passage of this chapter.

(b) The audit shall be performed by an independently nationally accredited firm with demonstrated expertise in transportation systems, infrastructure finance, and public-sector performance benchmarking.

(c) Any and all state agencies and offices shall cooperate with said audit and shall provide any and all assistance and information requested.

(d) The audit shall be completed and delivered to the governor and the general assembly on or before January 1, 2027. 42-13.2-3. Scope of audit.

(a) The audit shall include, but not be limited to, the following areas:

(1) Project delivery efficiency, including schedule adherence, cost escalation trends, change orders, procurement cycle time, and delivery outcomes;

(2) Asset management, including pavement, bridges, culverts, intelligent transportation systems assets, backlog replacement needs, and lifecycle cost analysis;

(3) Workforce and organizational structure, including ratio of in-house staff to consultants, vacancy rates, engineering capacity, and impacts on project delivery and oversight;

(4) Maintenance efficiency, including cost per lane-mile, snow and ice operations productivity, maintenance productivity, and equipment utilization;

(5) Financial management, including forecasting accuracy, cash-flow controls, use and tracking of federal funds, and alignment with the state transportation improvement program (STIP) and transportation improvement program (TIP); and

(6) Governance and oversight, including internal controls, performance reporting, transparency practices, and compliance with responsible charge requirements.

(b) The audit pursuant to this section shall be separate and independent of any audit conducted by the auditor general pursuant to chapter 13 of title 22 (“auditor general”). 42-13.2-4. Appropriation. There is hereby appropriated from the department of transportation budget for the fiscal year 2026-2027, the sum of four hundred fifty thousand dollars ($450,000,000) to cover the cost of the audit provided for herein. 42-13.2-5. Procurement and contracting practices.

(a) Upon completion, the audit shall be submitted to:

(1) The governor;

(2) The president of the senate;

(3) The speaker of the house of representatives; and

(4) The chairs of the house and senate finance committees.

(b) The final audit report shall be made publicly available on the DOT’s website. 42-13.2-6. Cooperation and access to records. The department shall cooperate fully with the audit and provide access to all records, data, contracts, and personnel reasonably necessary to complete the audit.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.