[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1510 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
S.1510
One Hundred Eighteenth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
the third day of January, two thousand and twenty four
An Act
To amend provisions relating to the Office of the Inspector General of
the Government Accountability Office, 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 ``GAO Inspector General Parity Act''.
SEC. 2. OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE GOVERNMENT
ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE.
Section 705 of title 31, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (2)--
(i) by inserting ``(A)'' before ``The Inspector
General'';
(ii) in subparagraph (A), as so designated, by striking
the second sentence; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
``(B) If the Inspector General is removed from office or is
transferred to another position or location within the Government
Accountability Office, the Comptroller General shall communicate in
writing the substantive rationale, including detailed and case-
specific reasons, for any such removal or transfer to both Houses
of Congress (including to the appropriate congressional
committees), not later than 30 days before the removal or transfer.
``(C) If there is an open or completed inquiry into the
Inspector General that relates to the removal or transfer of the
Inspector General under subparagraph (A), the written communication
required under subparagraph (B) shall--
``(i) identify each entity that is conducting, or that
conducted, the inquiry; and
``(ii) in the case of a completed inquiry, contain the
findings made during the inquiry.
``(D) Nothing in this paragraph shall prohibit a personnel
action otherwise authorized by law, other than transfer or
removal.'';
(B) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4); and
(C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
``(3)(A) Subject to the other provisions of this paragraph,
only the Comptroller General may place the Inspector General on
non-duty status.
``(B) If the Comptroller General places the Inspector General
on non-duty status, the Comptroller General shall communicate in
writing the substantive rationale, including detailed and case-
specific reasons, for the change in status to both Houses of
Congress (including to the appropriate congressional committees)
not later than 15 days before the date on which the change in
status takes effect, except that the Comptroller General may submit
that communication not later than the date on which the change in
status takes effect if--
``(i) the Comptroller General has made a determination that
the continued presence of the Inspector General in the
workplace poses a specific threat; and
``(ii) in the communication, the Comptroller General
includes a report on the determination described in clause (i),
which shall include--
``(I) the substantive rationale, including detailed and
case-specific reasons, for the determination made under
clause (i);
``(II) an identification of each entity that is
conducting, or that conducted, any inquiry upon which the
determination under clause (i) was made; and
``(III) in the case of an inquiry described in
subclause (II) that is completed, the findings made during
that inquiry.
``(C) The Comptroller General may not place the Inspector
General on non-duty status during the 30-day period preceding the
date on which the Inspector General is removed or transferred under
paragraph (2)(A) unless the Comptroller General--
``(i) has made a determination that the continued presence
of the Inspector General in the workplace poses a specific
threat; and
``(ii) not later than the date on which the change in
status takes effect, submits to both Houses of Congress
(including to the appropriate congressional committees) a
written communication that contains the information required
under subparagraph (B), including the report required under
clause (ii) of that subparagraph.
``(D) Nothing in this paragraph may be construed to limit or
otherwise modify any statutory protection that is afforded to the
Inspector General or a personnel action that is otherwise
authorized by law.'';
(2) in subsection (f)--
(A) by striking ``The Comptroller General'' and inserting
the following:
``(1) Prohibition.--The Comptroller General''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) Budget independence.--The Comptroller General shall
include the annual budget request of the Inspector General in the
budget of the Government Accountability Office without change.'';
and
(3) in subsection (g)--
(A) in paragraph (1), in the second sentence, by striking
``, except that no personnel of the Office may be paid at an
annual rate greater than $1,000 less than the annual rate of
pay of the Inspector General''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(5) Legal advice.--The Inspector General shall, in accordance
with applicable laws and regulations governing selections,
appointments, and employment at the Government Accountability
Office, obtain legal advice from a counsel reporting directly to
the Inspector General or another Inspector General.''.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.