Williams Appointed Republican Chairman of Government Oversight Committee

HARRISBURG - Rep. Craig Williams (R-Delaware/Chester) was appointed by House Republican Leader Jesse Topper (R-Bedford/Fulton) to serve as Republican chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee for the 2025-2026 House Session. The House Government Oversight Committee is empowered to conduct hearings at any place in the Commonwealth to investigate any matter referred to it.

Williams will lead Republican committee members, Representatives Tim Bonner (R-Mercer/Butler Counties), Dallas Kephart (R-Cambria/Clearfield) and Grimm Krupa (R-Fayette), in the conduct of these critical investigations. "Having done similar work on the executive side at the highest levels of our federal government, I know that House Government Oversight is a crucial function in integrity and also checks and balances of government power. As always, I am honored to serve," said Williams.

Representative Williams has previously served as a federal prosecutor with the United States Department of Justice, Deputy Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and in his final tour as a Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, commanded all prosecutors in the Marine Corps Reserve.

Leader Topper said this about Williams, "I hand-picked Chairman Williams for this position. In his four years in the House chamber, I have seen him lean on his wealth of experience to drive to reasoned outcomes. He solves problems. He does the right thing for the right reasons. That is who we need leading oversight investigations."

Examples of previous investigations by the House Government Oversight Committee:
• In 2019, the committee investigated compliance with the Commonwealth's Lobbying Disclosure Law, as amended by Act 2. That investigation recommended further changes to lobbying disclosures.

• In 2020, the committee investigated reports that the Office of the State Inspector General (OSIG) procured firearms for use by their agents and subsequently did not put those firearms into service. The Committee was tasked with conducting "an investigation of the facts surrounding the adherence to the procurement process in making this purchase." The committee concluded that the former Inspector General and his staff at all times acted in good faith in reliance on a change in the law.

• In 2020, the committee was tasked with investigating the decisions made, guidance issued, and public information provided concerning nursing home patients during the pandemic. That investigation was not completed before the 2020 session ended.
In addition to being appointed Chairman of the Government Oversight Committee, Williams will serve on the Consumer Protection Technology and Utilities, Energy, Gaming Oversight, and Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness committees.

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