Legislative Program Review and Investigations serves as the General Assembly's "watchdog" over the executive branch of the State government.   The committee is a bipartisan statutory group consisting of twelve members.   The President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House, and Senate and House Minority Leaders each appoint three members to the committee.

By law, the committee is charged with the duty of examining "... State government programs and their administration to ascertain whether such programs are effective, continue to serve their intended purposes, are conducted in an efficient and effective manner, or require modification or elimination."

The committee is further mandated by statute to report to the General Assembly and to make administrative and legislative recommendations or procedures, inaccuracies, waste, extravagance, unauthorized or unintended activities or programs or other deficiencies ... " existing in any agency or program investigated by the committee."

In addition, the committee is authorized to conduct investigations on "any matter" when requested by a joint resolution of the General Assembly or when the legislature is not in session, by a joint standing committee, or at its own initiative, subject to the approval of the Joint Committee on Legislative Management.

The Executive Reorganization Act of 1977 expanded the committee's mandate even further to include performance reviews of nearly 100 boards, councils, committees and commissions scheduled for termination under the "Sunset" provisions of the Act.   The first complete cycle of "Sunset" was completed in 1984.