[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2646 Reported in House (RH)]

                                                 Union Calendar No. 224
111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2646

                      [Report No. 111-387, Part I]

    To amend title 31, United States Code, to enhance the oversight 
    authorities of the Comptroller General, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 2, 2009

  Mr. Towns introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

                           December 19, 2009

 Reported with an amendment and referred to the Committee on Financial 
  Services for a period ending not later than December 19, 2009, for 
  consideration of such provisions of the bill and amendment as fall 
within the jurisdiction of that committee pursuant to clause 1(g), rule 
                                   X
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

                           December 19, 2009

 Committee on Financial Services discharged; committed to the Committee 
 of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on June 2, 
                                 2009]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend title 31, United States Code, to enhance the oversight 
    authorities of the Comptroller General, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Government Accountability Office 
Improvement Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORITY TO OBTAIN INFORMATION.

    (a) Authority To Obtain Records.--Section 716 of title 31, United 
States Code, is amended in subsection (a)--
            (1) by striking ``(a)'' and inserting ``(2)''; and
            (2) by inserting after the section heading the following:
    ``(a)(1) The Comptroller General is authorized to obtain such 
agency records as the Comptroller General requires to discharge his 
duties (including audit, evaluation, and investigative duties), 
including through the bringing of civil actions under this section. In 
reviewing a civil action under this section, the court shall recognize 
the continuing force and effect of the authorization in the preceding 
sentence until such time as the authorization is repealed pursuant to 
law.''.
    (b) Copies and Interviews.--Section 716(a) of title 31, United 
States Code, as amended by subsection (a), is further amended in the 
second sentence of paragraph (2) by striking ``inspect an agency 
record'' and inserting ``inspect, and make and retain copies of, an 
agency record and interview agency officers and employees''.
    (c) Rules of Construction.--Section 716 of title 31, United States 
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(f) No provision of any law in existence on the date of the 
enactment of this section or enacted after such date shall be construed 
to limit, amend, or supersede the authority of the Comptroller General 
to obtain any information, to inspect any record, or to interview any 
officer or employee under this section, except to the extent such 
provision expressly and specifically refers to this section and 
provides for such limitation, amendment, or supersession.''.

SEC. 3. ADMINISTERING OATHS.

    Paragraph (4) of section 711 of title 31, United States Code, is 
amended to read as follows:
            ``(4) administer oaths to witnesses, except that, in 
        matters other than auditing and settling accounts, the 
        authority of an officer or employee to administer oaths to 
        witnesses pursuant to a delegation under paragraph (2) shall 
        not be available without the prior express approval of the 
        Comptroller General (or a designee).''.

SEC. 4. AGENCY REPORTS.

    Section 720(b) of title 31, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting 
        ``or planned'' after ``action taken''; and
            (2) by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows:
            ``(1) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
        Affairs of the Senate, the Committee on Oversight and 
        Government Operations of the House of Representatives, the 
        congressional committees with jurisdiction over the agency 
        program or activity that is the subject of the recommendation, 
        and the Government Accountability Office before the 61st day 
        after the date of the report; and''.

SEC. 5. REVIEWS OF SPECIAL FEDERAL RESERVE CREDIT FACILITIES.

    (a) Reviews.--Section 714 of title 31, United States Code (as 
amended by section 801 of Public Law 111-22), is amended by adding at 
the end the following new subsection:
    ``(f) Reviews of Credit Facilities of the Federal Reserve System.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (3) and 
        notwithstanding any limitation in subsection (b) on the 
        auditing and overseeing of certain functions of the Board of 
        Governors of the Federal Reserve System or any Federal reserve 
        bank, the Comptroller General may conduct reviews, including 
        onsite examinations when the Comptroller General determines 
        such actions are appropriate, of credit facilities established 
        by the Board or any Federal reserve bank, and of the 
        establishment of such credit facilities by the Board or any 
        Federal reserve bank--
                    ``(A) in carrying out any action or function 
                approved by the Board under the 3rd undesignated 
                paragraph of section 13 of the Federal Reserve Act (12 
                U.S.C. 343); or
                    ``(B) in providing temporary assistance to private 
                institutions as the lender of last resort.
            ``(2) Description.--As of the date of the enactment of this 
        subsection, the credit facilities to which this subsection 
        applies include the following:
                    ``(A) Money Market Investor Funding Facility.
                    ``(B) Asset-Backed Commercial Paper Money Market 
                Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility.
                    ``(C) Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility.
                    ``(D) Term Auction Facility.
                    ``(E) The Primary Dealer Credit Facility.
                    ``(F) The Commercial Paper Funding Facility.
                    ``(G) The Term Securities Lending Facility, 
                including the Term Securities Lending Facility Options 
                Program
                    ``(H) The Revolving Credit Facility.
                    ``(I) Reciprocal currency arrangements with foreign 
                central banks.
                    ``(J) Mortgage Backed Securities Purchase Program, 
                as well as the purchase of debt obligations from a 
                Government Sponsored Enterprise.
                    ``(K) Any special purpose vehicle through which any 
                such credit facility conducts any activity or lending.
            ``(3) Termination of authority.--Paragraph (1) shall cease 
        to apply after the expiration of the 5-year period beginning on 
        the date of the enactment of this subsection.
            ``(4) Report.--
                    ``(A) Required.--A report on each review conducted 
                under paragraph (1) shall be submitted by the 
                Comptroller General to the Congress before the end of 
                the 90-day period beginning on the date on which such 
                review is completed.
                    ``(B) Contents.--The report under subparagraph (A) 
                shall include a detailed description of the findings 
                and conclusions of the Comptroller General with respect 
                to the review that is the subject of the report, 
                together with such recommendations for legislative or 
                administrative action as the Comptroller General may 
                determine to be appropriate.''.
    (b) Access to Records.--Section 714(d) of title 31, United States 
Code (as amended by section 801 of Public Law 111-22), is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) in the first sentence, by inserting after ``an 
                agency'' the following: ``or any facility established 
                by an agency (as specified in subsection (f))''; and
                    (B) in the second sentence, by inserting after 
                ``and any entity'' the following: ``or facility''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2), by inserting after ``used by an 
        agency'' the following: ``or any facility established by an 
        agency (as specified in subsection (f))''.
                                                 Union Calendar No. 224

111th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                               H. R. 2646

                      [Report No. 111-387, Part I]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

    To amend title 31, United States Code, to enhance the oversight 
    authorities of the Comptroller General, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                           December 19, 2009

 Reported with an amendment and referred to the Committee on Financial 
  Services for a period ending not later than December 19, 2009, for 
  consideration of such provisions of the bill and amendment as fall 
within the jurisdiction of that committee pursuant to clause 1(g), rule 
                                   X

                           December 19, 2009

Committee on Financial Services discharged; committed to the Committee 
 of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed