[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 135 (Thursday, October 1, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11302-S11303]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF INSPECTORS GENERAL

  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Senate Joint 
Resolution 58, introduced earlier today by Senators Glenn, Thompson, 
Collins, and others.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A joint resolution (S.J. Res. 58) recognizing the 
     accomplishments of Inspectors General since their creation in 
     1978 in preventing and detecting waste, fraud, abuse and 
     mismanagement, and in promoting economy, efficiency and 
     effectiveness in the Federal Government.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate 
consideration of the resolution?
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the joint 
resolution.
  (At the request of Mr. Daschle, the following statement was ordered 
to be printed in the Record.)
 Mr. GLENN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a joint 
resolution commemorating the Inspector General Act in the year of its 
20th anniversary. The Governmental Affairs Committee, on which I serve 
as Ranking Minority Member, has a long and bipartisan history with the 
IG community. In fact, I am very proud that I was an original sponsor 
of the IG Act and author of the 1988 amendments, both of which have 
played a major role in making our government function more efficiently, 
effectively, and with greater trust and confidence on the part of the 
American people. So, it is fitting that the Senate and House note this 
anniversary.
  Throughout government, IGs have had tremendous success. I note just 
some of these accomplishments as follows, from the latest (1996) PCIE 
report:

       Inspector General (IG) investigations led to $1.5 billion 
     in ``recoveries'' in 1995. (This is money which has been 
     recovered by the Government from people who have attempted to 
     defraud it). In addition, based on IG recommendations, agency 
     managers agreed to cancel, or seek reimbursements of, $2.3 
     billion from contractors or grantees in 1995. Also based on 
     IG recommendations, managers changed how they planned to 
     spend $10.4 billion to maximize return on the Federal dollar. 
     Overall, between 1981-1994, IG's reported $340 billion in 
     recoveries & funds put to better use from their efforts.
       In addition to IG work on program improvements, and the 
     figures cited above, the report compiles other important IG 
     accomplishments from FY 1995: $26.8 billion in 
     recommendations that funds be put to better

[[Page S11303]]

     use; $7.2 billion in questioned costs; 14,122 successful 
     prosecutions; 2,405 personnel actions; and 4,234 suspensions 
     and debarments of persons or firms doing business with the 
     Government.

  These facts suggest that IGs are doing the job we intended them to 
do, in spite of the fact that they are operating in a very difficult 
and more complex environment. The data also support the fact that the 
IG's first responsibility continues to be program and fiscal integrity; 
they are not ``tools'' of management. Even though, in this day and age, 
IGs need to make themselves ``relevant'' to both Congress and the 
agency, they first must help to make good programs work better, target 
those most vulnerable to waste and fraud, and help achieve savings 
wherever they can find them. The record proves this is clearly what the 
IG's have been about.
  The progress I have mentioned is particularly important since, if 
anything, the IG's role has only become more difficult in a new 
political culture dedicated to improving management. With the passage 
of the CFO Act, the Government Management Reform Act (GMRA), and the 
Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), IGs have inherited some 
new authority and some new duties. They now have some responsibility to 
ensure that we have accurate, reliable, and complete financial 
information on which to base our policy decisions and, down the road, 
which measure how well each program achieves its goal and at what 
actual cost. In that context, IGs have a unique role in helping to 
solve management problems throughout the federal government. The test 
of their success in this new mission is much like the one applied to 
their old one and--as I have indicated--the measure of their success is 
already evident.
  As I approach my last months as a United States Senator, I look back 
with great pride on the accomplishments we have made so far among the 
more than 60 statutory IGs. I am the first one to admit that the IGs do 
not function perfectly. In fact, any government operation can always 
stand improvement. But I strongly believe that we now have in place a 
fair, effective, and useful--if partial--solution to some very serious 
management problems in government. To me, this represents a singularly 
important success for the Congress and the American people, and one 
upon which I am hopeful we will continue to build into the 21st century 
and beyond.
  I hope all Senators will join me in supporting this important 
resolution.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. I ask unanimous consent that the joint resolution be 
read three times and passed, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating 
thereto be printed in the Record as if read in the appropriate place.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The joint resolution (S.J. Res. 58) was passed.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The joint resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S.J. Res. 58

       Whereas the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) 
     was signed into law on October 12, 1978, with overwhelming 
     bipartisan support;
       Whereas Inspectors General now exist in the 27 largest 
     executive agencies and in 30 other designated Federal 
     entities;
       Whereas Inspectors General serve the American taxpayer by 
     promoting economy, efficiency, effectiveness and integrity in 
     the administration of the programs and operations of the 
     Federal Government;
       Whereas Inspectors General conduct and supervise audits and 
     investigations to both prevent and detect waste, fraud and 
     abuse in the programs and operations of the Federal 
     Government;
       Whereas Inspectors General make Congress and agency heads 
     aware, through semiannual reports and other activities, of 
     problems and deficiencies relating to the administration of 
     programs and operations of the Federal Government;
       Whereas Inspectors General work with Congress and agency 
     heads to recommend policies to promote economy and efficiency 
     in the administration of, or preventing and detecting waste, 
     fraud and abuse in, the programs and operations of the 
     Federal Government;
       Whereas Inspectors General receive and investigate 
     information from Federal employees and other dedicated 
     citizens regarding the possible existence of an activity 
     constituting a violation of law, rules, or regulations, or 
     mismanagement, gross waste of funds, abuse of authority or a 
     substantial and specific danger to public health and safety;
       Whereas Inspector General actions result in, on a yearly 
     basis, recommendations for several billions of dollars to be 
     spent more effectively; thousands of successful criminal 
     prosecutions; hundreds of millions of dollars returned to the 
     United States Treasury through investigative recoveries; and 
     the suspension and disbarment of thousands of individuals or 
     entities from doing business with the Government;
       Whereas for 20 years the Offices of Inspectors General have 
     worked with Congress to facilitate the exercise of effective 
     legislative oversight to improve the programs and operations 
     of the Federal Government: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
     United States of America in Congress assembled, That the 
     Congress--
       (1) recognizes the many accomplishments of the Offices of 
     Inspectors General in preventing and detecting waste, fraud, 
     and abuse in the Federal Government;
       (2) commends the Offices of Inspectors General and their 
     employees for the dedication and professionalism displayed in 
     the performance of their duties; and
       (3) reaffirms the role of Inspectors General in promoting 
     economy, efficiency and effectiveness in the administration 
     of the programs and operations of the Federal Government.

                          ____________________