[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 273 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 273

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the President 
should nominate a qualified and independent individual for the position 
of Inspector General of the Department of State and Broadcasting Board 
       of Governors to be confirmed by the Senate without delay.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 25, 2013

     Mr. Royce (for himself and Mr. Engel) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the President 
should nominate a qualified and independent individual for the position 
of Inspector General of the Department of State and Broadcasting Board 
       of Governors to be confirmed by the Senate without delay.

Whereas the Inspector General Act of 1978 mandates that Inspectors General are 
        to conduct independent and objective audits, investigations, and 
        inspections, prevent and detect waste, fraud, and abuse, promote 
        economy, effectiveness, and efficiency, review pending legislation and 
        regulations, and keep the agency heads and Congress fully and currently 
        informed;
Whereas the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of State and 
        Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) detects, investigates, and 
        prevents instances of fraud, waste, and mismanagement that may 
        constitute either criminal wrongdoing or violation of Department of 
        State or BBG regulations;
Whereas the OIG inspects United States diplomatic and consular posts and 
        international broadcasting installations throughout the world to 
        determine whether policy goals are being achieved and whether the 
        interests of the United States are being represented and advanced 
        effectively;
Whereas the OIG conducts specialized security inspections and audits in support 
        of the Department of State's mission to provide effective protection to 
        United States personnel, facilities, and sensitive information;
Whereas the Department of State employs a total of nearly 70,000 personnel, 
        consisting of approximately 24,500 direct hire Foreign Service and Civil 
        Service personnel, over 9,300 of whom are stationed overseas, and more 
        than 45,000 locally employed staff, creating difficult accountability 
        challenges;
Whereas a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed Inspector General provides 
        the leadership and accountability within an OIG necessary to oversee a 
        cabinet-level agency and fulfill the duties described in this 
        resolution, while instilling confidence in agency interlocutors and 
        Congress;
Whereas the position of Inspector General for the Department of State and BBG 
        has been vacant since January 16, 2008, a span of nearly 2,000 days, and 
        is being filled by an interim appointment;
Whereas this vacancy is the longest of any OIG across the Federal Government; 
        and
Whereas filling this vacancy will help ensure that the OIG provides the robust 
        oversight necessary to keep Congress fully and currently informed, 
        protect the United States taxpayer, and ensure good governance: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
the President should nominate a qualified and independent individual 
for the position of Inspector General for the Department of State and 
Broadcasting Board of Governors to be confirmed by the Senate without 
delay.
                                 <all>