State Representative Jason Woolford (R-Howell) issued the following statement regarding the House Oversight Committee’s decision on Tuesday to authorize the committee chairman to subpoena the Secretary of State’s office, requiring them to hand over election training materials for clerks they have refused to give to the Legislature for five months:

“I voted to authorize a subpoena on the Secretary of State’s office for the simple reason that government should be answerable to the people. This new Republican majority made it clear from day one that transparency and accountability would be top priorities, and now we’re making good on that promise and delivering real results.

“The Democrat minority’s effort to cover for unelected bureaucrats hiding in the shadows is unconscionable. Never have I heard anybody so concerned about government departments having to answer questions. My Democrat colleagues should remember they are also the people’s elected representatives and should want the citizens and taxpayers they represent to have answers on how their government conducts their business.

“Rooting out potential waste, fraud, and abuse is exactly what the Oversight Committee was commissioned to do. While Democrats continue to try to help conceal abuse or incompetence within our bureaucracy, our successful move to authorize a subpoena marks an important first step toward bringing government’s abuse and incompetence to an end.”