[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 23, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2885-S2886]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       INSPECTOR GENERAL RECOMMENDATION TRANSPARENCY ACT OF 2017

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 409, S. 2178.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 2178) to require the Council of Inspectors 
     General on Integrity and Efficiency to make open 
     recommendations of Inspectors General publicly available, and 
     for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, 
which had been reported from the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs, with an amendment and an amendment to the title.
  (Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in 
italic.)

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Inspector General 
     Recommendation Transparency Act of 2018''.

     SEC. 2. INSPECTOR GENERAL OPEN RECOMMENDATIONS.

       (a) In General.--The Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 
     U.S.C. App.) is amended--
       (1) in section 5--
       (A) in subsection (a)--
       (i) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``the total number and'' 
     before ``a description of''; and
       (ii) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following:
       ``(3) the total number of open recommendations described in 
     previous semiannual reports on which corrective action has 
     not been completed, and an identification of each open 
     recommendation, which shall include--
       ``(A) the title of each report in which an open 
     recommendation was issued;
       ``(B) the assigned number of each open recommendation, as 
     designated within a report described in subparagraph (A);
       ``(C) a short description of each open recommendation;
       ``(D) the date on which each open recommendation was 
     submitted in final form to the head of the establishment;
       ``(E) if available, any cost savings if the corrective 
     action with respect to the open recommendation were 
     completed; and
       ``(F) any other information as determined appropriate by 
     the Inspector General that clarifies the progress of 
     implementing the open recommendation or the expected 
     timeframe for implementation.''; and
       (B) in subsection (f)--
       (i) paragraph (6)(B), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (ii) in paragraph (7)(B), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting ``; and''; and
       (iii) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(8) the term `open recommendation' means a 
     recommendation--
       ``(A) issued by an Inspector General of an establishment 
     and made publicly available;
       ``(B) on which corrective action has not been completed by 
     the establishment during the 1-year period following the date 
     on which the recommendation was issued; and
       ``(C) that has not been otherwise closed by the Office.''; 
     and
       (2) in section 11(c), by adding at the end the following:
       ``(5) Establishment of database.--Not later than 18 months 
     after the date on which the first semiannual report is 
     required to be prepared under section 5(a) after the date of 
     enactment of this paragraph, the Council shall establish and 
     operate a publicly available database that--
       ``(A) is accessible via the website of the Council in a 
     standardized, searchable format; and
       ``(B) includes--
       ``(i) the information on open recommendations that is 
     required to be included in each semiannual report under 
     section 5(a)(3); and
       ``(ii) any other information as determined necessary by the 
     Council.
       ``(6) Submission of reports.--Beginning not later than 60 
     days after the date of enactment of this paragraph, each 
     Inspector General of an establishment or a designated Federal 
     entity (as defined in section 8G(a)) shall, not later than 30 
     days after the date on which the Inspector General issues a 
     public report, submit to the Council the report for 
     publication on a centralized website.''.
       (b) Application.--The amendments made by subsection (a)(1) 
     shall apply with respect to the first semiannual report 
     prepared under section 5(a) of the Inspector General Act of 
     1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) after the date that is 1 year after the 
     date of enactment of this Act.

  Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported 
substitute amendment be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be 
considered read a third time and passed; that the committee-reported 
title amendment be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be 
considered made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee-reported amendment in the nature of a substitute was 
agreed to.
  The bill (S. 2178), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a 
third reading, was read the third time, and passed.
  The committee-reported title amendment was agreed to, as follows:

       Amend the title so as to read: ``A bill to require the 
     Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency 
     to make open recommendations of Inspectors General publicly 
     available, and for other purposes.''.

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