[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.
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