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<dc:title>118 HR 3846 IH: Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Transparency Act</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. House of Representatives</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2023-06-06</dc:date>
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<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
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<distribution-code display="yes">I</distribution-code><congress display="yes">118th CONGRESS</congress><session display="yes">1st Session</session><legis-num display="yes">H. R. 3846</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES</current-chamber><action display="yes"><action-date date="20230606">June 6, 2023</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="T000193">Mr. Thompson of Mississippi</sponsor> (for himself and <cosponsor name-id="I000058">Mr. Ivey</cosponsor>) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the <committee-name committee-id="HHM00">Committee on Homeland Security</committee-name></action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title display="yes">To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to enhance transparency regarding reports conducted by the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes.</official-title></form><legis-body id="H42B4A2E7312A4B2A8460B6B0EC4B0CD8" style="OLC"> 
<section id="HAEF8321768034FD68E841DFCA52E83C3" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Transparency Act</short-title></quote>.</text></section> <section id="H63B5518241E1476DACD0BE153A7529BD"><enum>2.</enum><header>Office of Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security</header> <subsection id="HE114AA2EAF32460AA494BFF760B15320"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text>Subtitle B of title VIII of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended by inserting before section 812 the following new section:</text> 
<quoted-block id="H5EEB83B84FAD44318E9B237B9BB15A20" style="OLC"> 
<section id="H64EE999809D345C999E133A15D92E9AA"><enum>811.</enum><header>Office of Inspector General</header> 
<subsection id="H91551201922E4678B74501ABA8892E48"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Publication of reports</header> 
<paragraph id="H3BA5CACC410A4725A6A6DD622C92782A" commented="no"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In general</header><text>Beginning not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this section, the Inspector General of the Department shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees any report finalized on and after such date that substantiates—</text> <subparagraph id="H09478A23A7A54B9D9C75A9E8EF676930" commented="no"><enum>(A)</enum><text>a violation of paragraph (8) or (9) of section 2302(b) of title 5, United States Code, section 1034 of title 10, United States Code, or Presidential Personnel Directive-19; or</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="HEC03F694196A4E53A22249567FFAC87E" commented="no"><enum>(B)</enum><text>an allegation of misconduct, waste, fraud, abuse, or violation of policy within the Department involving a member of the Senior Executive Service or politically appointed official of the Department.</text></subparagraph></paragraph> <paragraph id="H0F83A06561C74A82ADB8AA2421C5968E"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Public availability</header> <subparagraph id="H256A92395A9F462684B4A6BCB96501A9"><enum>(A)</enum><header>In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Concurrent with the submission to the appropriate congressional committees of reports pursuant to paragraph (1), the Inspector General shall, consistent with privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties protections, publish on a publicly available website of the Inspector General each such report.</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="HBA0D6C6537AC47B38FD7DF55E5E19EA0" commented="no"><enum>(B)</enum><header>Exception</header><text>The requirement pursuant to subparagraph (A) to publish reports does not apply if the conditions specified in section 405(f)(1) of title 5, United States Code, applies to any such report.</text></subparagraph></paragraph> <paragraph id="H36DC722A4B684E49A2317071FD05D0C1"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Requirement</header> <subparagraph id="HC9696858E0E7456F85DE1561EB7595EB" commented="no"><enum>(A)</enum><header>In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Inspector General of the Department may not redact any portion of a report submitted pursuant to paragraph (1).</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H1960CA119A464B1DBF3FF06E681EFB8A" commented="no"><enum>(B)</enum><header>Exception</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The requirement under subparagraph (A) shall not apply with respect to the name or any other identifying information, including any contextual details not relevant to the audit, inspection, or evaluation at issue that may be used by other employees or officers of the Department to determine the identity of a whistleblower complainant, of a whistleblower complainant who does not consent to the inclusion of such in a report of the Inspector General.</text></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection> <subsection id="HB5C96E23E6A642F5A070FD778FF84DDE" commented="no"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Semiannual reporting</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Beginning with the first semiannual report transmitted to the appropriate committees or subcommittees of the Congress pursuant to section 405(b) of title 5, United States Code, that is transmitted after the date of the enactment of this section, each such report shall be accompanied by a list of ongoing audits, inspections, and evaluations of the Department, together with a narrative description relating to each such audit, inspection, or evaluation that identifies the scope of such audit, inspection, or evaluation, as the case may be, as well as the subject office, component, or directorate of the Department. For each such ongoing audit, inspection, or evaluation such narrative description shall include the following:</text> 
<paragraph id="HD69F592823724B9791992F7CB7693DBC" commented="no"><enum>(1)</enum><text>Information relating to the source of each such audit, inspection, or evaluation.</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="H20263ED2A5794165B62A54CACDE9C87A" commented="no"><enum>(2)</enum><text>Information regarding whether each such audit, inspection, or evaluation is being conducted independently, jointly, concurrently, or in some other manner.</text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="HA8CD044FB6DB4431A9C07537E8516A1C" commented="no"><enum>(3)</enum><text>In the event each such audit, inspection, or evaluation was initiated due to a referral, the date on which the Inspector General notified the originator of a referral of the Inspector General’s intention to carry out such audit, inspection, or evaluation.</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="H667B4E2861204BF9AAAB89A6BA2182D8" commented="no"><enum>(4)</enum><text>Information relating to the dates on which—</text> 
<subparagraph id="HD7E9767EB77640EFA9F5458C62B6A546" commented="no"><enum>(A)</enum><text>each such audit, inspection, or evaluation was initiated;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H951C008E5EF9451192E2AC3484D29553" commented="no"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">a draft report relating to each such audit, inspection, or evaluation is scheduled to be submitted to the Secretary for review; and</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="H438A40C512F94565A471D810CB37913F" commented="no"><enum>(C)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">a final report relating to each such audit, inspection, or evaluation is scheduled to be submitted to the appropriate congressional committees and published on the website of the Inspector General in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively, of subsection (a).</text></subparagraph></paragraph> <paragraph id="HD58E42F69B9A4FF499BABA2655AE9603" commented="no"><enum>(5)</enum><text>An explanation for—</text> 
<subparagraph id="HC7F63910821145DABCD2E74756F2E1F6" commented="no"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">any significant changes since the previous semiannual report regarding the narrative description of each such audit, inspection, or evaluation, including the identification of the subject office, component, or directorate of the Department;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H3B6EA15E021E4AEFA402500B1665E0F5" commented="no"><enum>(B)</enum><text>a delay of more than 30 days in the scheduled date for submitting to the Secretary a draft report for review or publishing on the website of the Inspector General of the Department the final report relating to each such audit, inspection, or evaluation; or</text></subparagraph>
<subparagraph id="H0C2C3965F6FA4B83A8F96E9C556CE3B6"><enum>(C)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">any such audit, inspection, or evaluation terminated.</text></subparagraph></paragraph> <paragraph id="H5E4EBDC328264767AE26175137737028" commented="no"><enum>(6)</enum><text>Data regarding tips and complaints made to the Inspector General Hotline of the Department or otherwise referred to the Department, including the following:</text> 
<subparagraph id="HB9D1CDF8B0B140F88AE19621AB0B000F" commented="no"><enum>(A)</enum><text>The number and type of tips and complaints regarding fraud, waste, abuse, corruption, financial crimes, or civil rights and civil liberty abuse, or other complaints regarding criminal or non-criminal activity associated with fraud, waste, or abuse.</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HBE431A8C4DA747AD863C884E3111BE6D" commented="no"><enum>(B)</enum><text>Actions taken by the Department to address or resolve each substantiated tip or complaint.</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="HD8427306408B4750AED933E55FE69FF0" commented="no"><enum>(C)</enum><text>The total amount of time it took the Department to so address or resolve each such substantiated tip or complaint.</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H243871B965E14B62A78D93403281505E" commented="no"><enum>(D)</enum><text>The total number of tips and complaints that are substantiated, compared with the number of tips and complaints that are unsubstantiated.</text></subparagraph> 
<subparagraph id="HD71F23977C854D86AB336AEC625F3DF1" commented="no"><enum>(E)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The percentage of audits, inspections, and evaluations that are initiated as a result of tips and complaints made to the Inspector General Hotline.</text></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection> <subsection id="H9701B035016D4CC7A2FB352C25BC0712"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Notification to Congress</header><text>The Inspector General of the Department shall notify the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate if the head of an office, component, or directorate of the Department does not provide in a timely manner to the Inspector General information or assistance that is requested by the Inspector General to conduct an audit, inspection, or evaluation.</text></subsection> 
<subsection id="HBA9ABEAE606B46E6997378895569533E" commented="no"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Definition</header><text>In this section, the term <quote>appropriate congressional committees</quote> means the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, and any committee of the House of Representatives or the Senate, respectively, having legislative or oversight jurisdiction under the Rules of the House of Representatives or the Senate, respectively, over the matter concerned.</text></subsection></section><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection> <subsection id="H570E980B32AA46B9B2B20E79F819FD3D"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Clerical amendment</header><text>The table of contents in section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended by amending the item relating to section 811 to read as follows:</text> 
<quoted-block style="OLC" id="HF0B23AB053D74EDDB75AA09DEEBE654D" display-inline="no-display-inline"> 
<toc regeneration="no-regeneration"> 
<toc-entry level="section">Sec. 811. Office of Inspector General.</toc-entry></toc><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection> 
<subsection id="H508496C26C324533BE59B02E5258750E"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Reports</header> 
<paragraph id="H7634E730EDEA4EF7BAED0B259AA5FFF7"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Inspector General of DHS</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, and the Comptroller General of the United States a report on the policies, procedures, and internal controls established that ensure compliance with the Quality Standards for Federal Offices of Inspector General from the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="H182BF88373794FBF995F08375CF33B87"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Comptroller General</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than one year after receipt of the report required under paragraph (1), the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate an evaluation of such report.</text></paragraph></subsection></section> 
</legis-body></bill>

