S1510 ENR: GAO Inspector General Parity Act
U.S. Senate
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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.
One Hundred Eighteenth Congress of the United States of America
2d Session
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday, the third day of January, two thousand and twenty four
S. 1510
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
AN ACT
To amend provisions relating to the Office of the Inspector General of the Government Accountability Office, and for other purposes.
1.

Short title
This Act may be cited as the “GAO Inspector General Parity Act”.
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