[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 120 (Wednesday, July 17, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H5950-H5951]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                    INSPECTOR GENERAL PROTECTION ACT

  Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1847) to require congressional notification for certain 
changes in status of inspectors general, and for other purposes, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1847

       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 ``Inspector General Protection 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION OF CHANGE IN STATUS OF 
                   INSPECTOR GENERAL.

       (a) Change in Status of Inspector General of Offices.--
     Section 3(b) of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. 
     App.) is amended--
       (1) by inserting ``, is placed on paid or unpaid non-duty 
     status,'' after ``is removed from office'';
       (2) by inserting ``, change in status,'' after ``any such 
     removal''; and
       (3) by inserting ``, change in status,'' after ``before the 
     removal''.
       (b) Change in Status of Inspector General of Designated 
     Federal Entities.--Section 8G(e)(2) of the Inspector General 
     Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended--
       (1) by inserting ``, is placed on paid or unpaid non-duty 
     status,'' after ``office'';
       (2) by inserting ``, change in status,'' after ``any such 
     removal''; and
       (3) by inserting ``, change in status,'' after ``before the 
     removal''.
       (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section 
     shall take effect 30 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act.

     SEC. 3. PRESIDENTIAL EXPLANATION OF FAILURE TO NOMINATE AN 
                   INSPECTOR GENERAL.

       (a) In General.--Subchapter III of chapter 33 of title 5, 
     United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 
     3349d the following new section:

     ``Sec. 3349e. Presidential explanation of failure to nominate 
       an Inspector General

       ``If the President fails to make a formal nomination for a 
     vacant Inspector General position that requires a formal 
     nomination by the President to be filled within the period 
     beginning on the date on which the vacancy occurred and 
     ending on the day that is 210 days after that date, the 
     President shall communicate, within 30 days after the end of 
     such period, to Congress in writing --
       ``(1) the reasons why the President has not yet made a 
     formal nomination; and
       ``(2) a target date for making a formal nomination.''.
       (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 
     33 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
     after the item relating to 3349d the following new item:

``3349e. Presidential explanation of failure to nominate an Inspector 
              General.''.

       (c) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) 
     shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act 
     and shall apply to any vacancy first occurring on or after 
     that date.

     SEC. 4. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.

       The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
     complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall 
     be determined by reference to the latest statement titled 
     ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, 
     submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the 
     Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such 
     statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Rouda) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Keller) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the measure before us.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I am proud to support the Inspector General Protection 
Act, which would improve the independence of inspectors general.
  This bipartisan bill, introduced by Representative Ted Lieu and 
Representative Jody Hice, would also address the disturbingly slow 
nomination of IGs that have been the norm across multiple 
administrations.
  The bill would require notification of Congress 30 days prior to an 
IG being placed on leave. Such notification is already required prior 
to an IG being removed from duty.
  The bill would also require the President to report to Congress if he 
has not nominated an IG after 210 days of a vacancy occurring.
  The report must include the reasons for failing to make the 
nomination and a target date for doing so. The requirement will 
hopefully prod the executive branch to nominate IG's in a more timely 
manner.

                              {time}  1530

  Inspectors general provide critical oversight and accountability 
within Federal agencies, and the positions need to be filled more 
quickly than is currently the case.
  Madam Speaker, I urge Members to support this bipartisan bill, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KELLER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 1847, the Inspector General Protection Act. 
I thank Representative Ted Lieu for working in a bipartisan manner on 
this legislation. H.R. 1847 will help ensure that inspectors general 
vacancies across Federal agencies will be filled in a timely manner.
  Inspectors general play an important role in improving the operations 
of the Federal Government. They help combat fraud, waste, and abuse 
throughout executive branch departments and agencies and promote a 
resourceful and effective Federal Government.
  They have assisted us with discharging one of our most important 
responsibilities, shining the light on areas of the government that 
need improved efficiency and economy.
  However, throughout both Republican and Democratic administrations, 
there have been numerous vacant inspector general positions. Certain 
agencies have experienced prolonged periods of absent inspector general 
leadership.
  For example, the Department of the Interior has been without a 
permanent inspector general since 2009. Likewise, there are 
approximately 13 vacant inspector general positions for agencies 
covered by the Inspector General Act.
  This bill would require the President to timely notify Congress of a 
failure to nominate an inspector general for a given agency. The 
President would also be required to explain why a nomination has not 
yet been made and provide a target date for that nomination.
  The bill also calls for increased transparency by requiring the 
President to notify Congress if an inspector general is placed on leave 
or changes status.
  Inspectors general are an indispensable tool to Congress. By ensuring 
the Federal Government is adequately staffed with inspectors general, 
we are reaffirming our commitment to rooting out government fraud, 
waste, and abuse.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan 
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Ted Lieu), the sponsor of 
this legislation.
  Mr. TED LIEU of California. Madam Speaker, first, let me thank the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Rouda) and the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Keller) for their comments in support of this 
legislation.
  I rise today in support of my bipartisan bill, H.R. 1847, the 
Inspector General Protection Act, which will enhance the independence 
and integrity of our IGs.
  Since Congress passed the original Inspector General Act in 1978, 
these government watchdogs have played a crucial role in our democracy. 
They root out waste, fraud, mismanagement, and abuse at all levels of 
government, saving American taxpayers billions of dollars annually and 
ensuring that government programs benefit the people.
  According to the nonpartisan Council of the Inspectors General on 
Integrity and Efficiency, taxpayers saved $32.7 billion in fiscal year 
2017 from audit recommendations. That is a $22 return on every dollar 
invested.
  Unfortunately, both Democratic and Republican administrations have 
hamstrung our IGs with persistent vacancies and underfunded budgets. 
According to the Project on Government

[[Page H5951]]

Oversight, vacancies of permanent inspectors general is not a new 
problem or one that is unique to this administration. This issue has 
persisted for years under both Democratic and Republican leadership. 
The Department of the Interior, for example, has lacked a Senate-
confirmed inspector general for over a decade.
  But it is not just vacancies that have been problematic. In a 
committee report, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs noted that ``another type of personnel action has 
the potential for doing significant damage to OIG independence if 
abused: placing an IG on indefinite paid or unpaid nonduty status.''
  My bill will address both of these problems.
  First, H.R. 1847 requires notification of Congress in advance of an 
inspector general being placed on administrative leave. This ensures 
Congress is aware of any potential attempts to improperly sideline an 
inspector general.
  Second, the bill requires the President to report to Congress if an 
inspector general has not been nominated within 210 days after a 
vacancy occurs for the position, including the reasons a nomination has 
not been made and a target date for doing so.
  This reasserts Congress' oversight role and allows Members to 
question, on an informal basis, the decision of any future 
administration to leave core offices vacant.
  As Senator Chuck Grassley told The Washington Post in 2017, 
``Independent, nonpartisan IGs can be some of the President's best 
allies in finding and cutting waste, fraud, and abuse in the 
bureaucracy.''
  I agree with that statement. That is why I look forward to working 
with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, as well as the U.S. 
Senate, toward getting this commonsense bill signed into law.
  I am grateful to my colleague from Georgia (Mr. Hice) for partnering 
with me on this legislation and to Chairman Cummings and Ranking Member 
Jordan for recognizing the importance of strengthening our Nation's 
inspectors general.
  I am also proud that this bill has received the endorsement of good-
government groups across the ideological spectrum, including Project on 
Government Oversight, R Street Institute, American Oversight, Campaign 
for Accountability, Common Cause, and Public Citizen.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting good 
governance by voting ``yes.''
  Mr. KELLER. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers. I urge all of 
my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Rouda) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1847, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________