[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 28 (Friday, February 11, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E145]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   COST ESTIMATE FOR H.R. 5633, THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 
                   INSPECTOR GENERAL TRANSPARENCY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 11, 2022

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record 
the cost estimate prepared by the Congressional Budget Office for H.R. 
5633, the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General 
Transparency Act. The cost estimate was not available at the time of 
the Committee report filing.

                                                    U.S. Congress,


                                  Congressional Budget Office,

                                Washington, DC, February 10, 2022.
     Hon. Bennie G. Thompson,
     Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
     prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 5633, the 
     Department of Homeland Security Inspector General 
     Transparency Act.
       If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
     pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Lindsay 
     Wylie.
           Sincerely,
                                                Phillip L. Swagel,
                                                         Director.
       Enclosure.

     H.R. 5633--Department of Homeland Security Inspector General 
                            Transparency Act

As reported by the House Committee on Homeland Security on January 21, 
                                  2022

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                           By fiscal year, millions of
                                                    dollars--
                                        --------------------------------
                                          2022   2022-2026    2022-2031
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Direct Spending (Outlays)..............      0            0            0
Revenues...............................      0            0            0
                                        --------------------------------
Increase or Decrease (-) in the Deficit      0            0            0
Spending Subject to Appropriation            *            5          not
 (Outlays).............................                        estimated
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* = between zero and $500,000.

       Statutory pay-as-you-go procedures apply? No.
       Increases on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 
     10-year periods beginning in 2032? No.
       Mandate Effects:
       Contains intergovernmental mandate? No.
       Contains private-sector mandate? No.
       H.R. 5633 would require the Office of the Inspector General 
     (OIG) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit 
     to the Congress any reports substantiating violations of 
     certain personnel policies and allegations of misconduct, 
     fraud, or abuse within DHS involving members of the Senior 
     Executive Service or political appointees. This requirement 
     would apply to reports finalized on or after 30 days from the 
     bill's enactment, and reports would need to be published on 
     the OIG website. The bill also would require the OIG to 
     include information regarding ongoing audits, inspections, 
     and evaluations in its semiannual reports and submit an 
     additional report on compliance to the Congress within one 
     year. Finally, H.R. 5633 would require the Government 
     Accountability Office (GAO) to evaluate the OIG compliance 
     report after one year.
       Based on information from the OIG, CBO expects the office 
     would need three additional employees to conduct 
     investigations and compile reports and two additional 
     employees to communicate with and collect information from 
     other DHS offices. Assuming they are hired at the beginning 
     of fiscal year 2023, CBO estimates the cost to the OIG for 
     these employees would be about $5 million over the 2022-2026 
     period. Additionally, based on the cost of similar 
     activities, CBO estimates the cost to GAO of producing its 
     evaluation would be less than $500,000 over the 2022-2026 
     period. All such spending would be subject to the 
     availability of appropriated funds.
       The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Lindsay Wylie. 
     The estimate was reviewed by Leo Lex, Deputy Director of 
     Budget Analysis.