(a) The Inspector General may, under policies developed by the Inspector General, initiate an audit or review on the Inspector General’s own accord regarding oversight related to delivery of the project, and the selection and oversight of contractors related to the project. Following a completed audit or review, the Inspector General may perform a followup audit or review to determine what measures the High-Speed Rail Authority implemented to address the Inspector General’s findings and to assess the effectiveness of those measures. In considering what audits and reviews to perform, the Inspector General may consider input received from the Legislature, the Governor, and the High-Speed Rail Authority.

(b) The duties and responsibilities of the Inspector General shall include, but are not limited to, all of the following:

(1) Commencing with the project update report required pursuant to Section 185033.5 that is due on or before March 1, 2023, to conduct independent fiscal estimates and reviews of the High-Speed Rail Authority’s plans and estimates for project advancement and make findings of the reasonableness of those plans and estimates.

(2) Commencing with the project update report required pursuant to Section 185033.5 that is due on or before March 1, 2023, to monitor progress toward meeting the milestones toward the implementation of the successful completion of the Merced to Bakersfield segment of the project, consistent with subdivision (a).

(3) To conduct audits and investigations relating to delivery of the project.

(4) To identify best practices in the delivery of capital projects and recommend policies to enable the High-Speed Rail Authority to adopt these practices when practicable.

(5) To recommend policies promoting efficiency in the administration of programs and operations as part of any audit findings.

(6) To review the High-Speed Rail Authority process for considering proposed and executed change orders and to make any recommendations to ensure the process is appropriate for determining the merit and reasonableness of change orders.

(7) To review the High-Speed Rail Authority’s contracts and contracting practices to determine whether they are executed consistent with state and federal laws and policies and are conducted in a fair and reasonable manner, providing the state with valued services at reasonable cost.

(8) To review proposed agreements to ensure that they are in the best interest of the state, the High-Speed Rail Authority’s statutory mission, and state priorities.

(c) The Inspector General shall not investigate personnel issues regarding employees of the High-Speed Rail Authority.

(d) Nothing in this division is intended to infringe upon the authority of the High-Speed Rail Authority’s own audits and controls.

(Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 71, Sec. 10. (SB 198) Effective June 30, 2022.)