7. The Inspector General is authorized to establish a full-time program of investigation, to receive and investigate complaints concerning alleged fraud, waste, abuse, or mismanagement of State funds, designed to provide increased accountability, integrity, and oversight of:

all recipients of State funds, including, but not limited to, State departments and agencies, independent authorities, county and municipal governments, and boards of education;

the awarding and the execution of contracts awarded by the State, or any of its independent authorities, commissions, boards, agencies, or instrumentalities, which contracts involve a significant expenditure of public funds or are comprised of complex or unique components, or both, as determined by the Inspector General; and

the performance of governmental officers, employees, appointees, functions, and programs in order to promote efficiency, to identify cost savings, and to detect and prevent misconduct within the programs and operations of any governmental agency funded by, or disbursing, State funds.

L.2005, c.119, s.7; amended 2007, c.52, s.17.